2008 Woodie Awards
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The Scene
Audience may find meeting 'John Doe' tricky business
Director Eric Schaeffer brings 1940s-era Frank Capra film to the Ford Theatre with mixed audience reaction
By Madalyn Wasilczuk on 4/2/07
Not many productions make their debut at Ford's Theatre. In fact, it's been more than five years since a world premiere graced the historic stage. But in "Meet John Doe," Ford's has found something that was well worth waiting for.
The musical, based on the 1941 Oscar-nominated Frank Capra film of the same title, takes place in Great Depression-era New York City. The brilliant Heidi Blickenstaff plays Ann Mitchell, a reporter with gumption to spare. In a desperate attempt to save her job, invents a story about a man, alias John Doe, who plans to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge in protest of the social problems plaguing Americans.
In order to keep up the scam, the newspaper hires John Willoughby, a former baseball player, to play John Doe.
The average people, or the John Does of the play, are enthralled by the story of this man, the voice of hope amid the clamor of chaos. The problem is, the audience is not nearly as enchanted by James Moye's Willoughby as the 1931 United States seems to be.
Moye's acting, though not stellar, is nonetheless solid. The real problem with Willoughby's character, however, is the lack of character development on the part of the musical's writers.
It is not until "Thank You," the second number of the second act, that the audience really begins to believe in Willoughby's merit and his belief in the John Doe cause.
Lighting designer Rui Rita does an outstanding job, using her skills to emphasize characters' actions, pause time and even simulate camera flashes, without detracting from the scenes.
Derek McLane, the set designer, also does a wonderful job converting the historic theater into a lonely-looking industrial space decked in black and white in honor of Capra's film.
Beyond reflecting an old movie, however, the black, white and shades of gray reflected the many moods and truths of play. It shows the desolation of the Depression as well as the lack of absolute goodness in many of the show's characters.
The musical, based on the 1941 Oscar-nominated Frank Capra film of the same title, takes place in Great Depression-era New York City. The brilliant Heidi Blickenstaff plays Ann Mitchell, a reporter with gumption to spare. In a desperate attempt to save her job, invents a story about a man, alias John Doe, who plans to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge in protest of the social problems plaguing Americans.
In order to keep up the scam, the newspaper hires John Willoughby, a former baseball player, to play John Doe.
The average people, or the John Does of the play, are enthralled by the story of this man, the voice of hope amid the clamor of chaos. The problem is, the audience is not nearly as enchanted by James Moye's Willoughby as the 1931 United States seems to be.
Moye's acting, though not stellar, is nonetheless solid. The real problem with Willoughby's character, however, is the lack of character development on the part of the musical's writers.
It is not until "Thank You," the second number of the second act, that the audience really begins to believe in Willoughby's merit and his belief in the John Doe cause.
Lighting designer Rui Rita does an outstanding job, using her skills to emphasize characters' actions, pause time and even simulate camera flashes, without detracting from the scenes.
Derek McLane, the set designer, also does a wonderful job converting the historic theater into a lonely-looking industrial space decked in black and white in honor of Capra's film.
Beyond reflecting an old movie, however, the black, white and shades of gray reflected the many moods and truths of play. It shows the desolation of the Depression as well as the lack of absolute goodness in many of the show's characters.
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