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The musical In Trousers relates a story that falls somewhere between coming-of-age and coming-out-during-a-midlife-crisis. Egads! Theatre Company presented the Kansas City premiere at the Off Center Theatre, a frequent home for edgy, smaller scale productions. Though the lyrics were clever and the music interesting (if derivative), the plot was disjointed, the characters were one dimensional, and, in this case, the over-all production was a bit sloppy.

William Finn (The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) originally wrote the show in 1979, and then reworked it in 1985. The revised version featured almost constant singing, especially in the first act, and relied on the strength of the performers to build the story and maintain a consistent pace. Fortunately, director Steven Eubank has an amazing cast, a talented young crew comprised of Jared Hill (Marvin), Molly Denninghoff (Wife), Katie Karel (Sweetheart), and Shelby Floyd (Miss Goldberg). They managed to bring some life to the flat and rather unlikable characters. 

As Act One opened, Marvin was experiencing another sleepless night, sometime during the mid-1970s, as he struggled between his dedication to his wife and son and his sexual feelings for another man. During the course of the night, he would flash back to high school and to the women he knew during his initial sexual awakening: his high school sweetheart, a teacher, and his wife.  Whether these somewhat violent and sexual dream-like moments were fantasy or memory never becomes fully clear, and the shifts from “now” to “then” further the confusion. Marvin must have something amazing going on, because the women can’t seem to leave him alone, but just what that something is was not fully realized.

Regardless of the muddled plot, production issues made it more difficult to follow. The vocals were over amplified and created a piercing quality that overpowered the onslaught of interwoven melodic lines, hampering clarity and diction. Though the band was well balanced, at times the clarinet was so sharp that it seemed as though it was playing a different score. And the stilted and plodding choreography did little to enhance the show.

However, the highlight of the first half was Floyd’s soulful solo in “Set Those Sails,” a heart-wrenching gospel-inspired number that she delivered with aplomb.

Act Two came across much stronger, fortunately, with a more cohesive script, a bit more narrative, and fewer time/reality shifts. More of the story focused on the ladies’ perspective, and the characters were allowed to develop beyond Marvin’s teenaged delusions, if ever so slightly.

Though the mix was still too high and, frankly, painful during ensemble moments, the impressive singing ability came through during individual performances. The actors brought out the finer points of both the music and the characters. There were also more convincingly comedic moments, such as the ladies’ simultaneous tantrums during Marvin’s rejection and Karel’s endearingly naughty narratives. 

The few and far between serious turns are treated with kid gloves, and never allowed to get too dramatic. However, Denninghoff’s performance was both funny and frightening, especially a convincing, near nervous collapse in “I’m Breaking Down,” as her character tries to come to terms with Marvin’s sexuality and its repercussions in her life. Hill’s performance was well balanced, and he managed to portray the confusion and torment of Marvin’s predicament while maintaining an overall humorous demeanor. The writing doesn’t allow Marvin much evolution, though, and thus the ending feels inconclusive. 

In Trousers was written as the first part of a three-part musical, and as such may work. But as a stand-alone work, it struggled. In the Off Center Theatre’s small space, the production overpowered the performances with unnecessary use of technology, instead of relying on the abilities and talent of the excellent actors. 

REVIEW:
In Trousers
Egads! Theatre Company
Runs through March 26 (reviewed Friday, March 11)
Off Center Theatre
Third Floor, Crown Center
2450 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, MO
For tickets, information, and show times: call 816-274-8444 or visit http://www.egadstheatre.com/

Top Photo: Jared Hill (Marvin) and Katie Karel (Sweetheart) (Photo courtesy of Egads! Theatre Company)

By Libby Hanssen

Traditional and New Classical, Theatre Contributor

Libby Hanssen holds degrees from University of Missouri-Kansas City (M.M.) and Ball State University (B.M.) in trombone performance and also studied music education at Indiana University. She has studied trombone with Carl Lenthe, JoDee Davis, John Seidel, John Huntoon and Denis Wick, and music education with Brent Gault, Estelle Jorgensen and Katherine Strand.

While at IU, she taught classes in general music, focusing on listening skills and music fundamentals through practical music usage and exploring new sound constructions. During the course of her studies at UMKC, she performed with many ensembles, including the Conservatory Orchestra and Musica Nova. She has also performed with the Kansas City Puccini Festival, the People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, the New Jazz Order, the Indiana Wind Symphony and the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.

In 2010, she was a fellow (one of 23 journalists selected from across the US) for the seventh annual National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera at Columbia University’s Journalism School in New York City.

Most of her free time is spent with her three boys (son, dog and husband) and camera, exploring the many fine aspects of Kansas City living. She enjoys listening to KKFI - Kansas City Community Radio and KCUR - Kansas City's NPR station, visiting Kansas City's fine collection of museums and galleries, and scavenging in thrift and antique stores to add to her collection of toy instruments.

She writes for the joy of words and the process of constructing a story, maintaining the blog Proust Eats a Sandwich (www.prousteatsasandwich.wordpress.com). She is working on her first book: Murray Goes to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.