A broken-down bus with a gay New York theater troupe stuck in Toad Lake, Texas, could be a recipe for a drama, a comedy, or a musical. Add a lady sheriff with showbiz blood, a starry-eyed young man trying to skip town and join the troupe, and you have Backwater Blues in its world premiere at Compass Theater. Tempers flare, secret love is exposed, and dreams are found in the most improbable of places..Texas.
Michael Thomas Tower's and David M. Newcomer's show will remind you just how good fishnet stockings, a jacket, and not much else, can look on a man. Directed by Lindsey Duoos Gearhart, it is a delightful musical that combines Appalachian country, traditional Broadway, and old-style Hollywood in its musical numbers with a light-hearted plot. The show is heavily laden with joyful songs and subtle, yet airtight, musical numbers. The tableaux-like dance numbers, along with the perpetual grins of the performers (who seem to be competing for who can show the cutest, brightest smile) brighten the stage almost as well as the excellent lighting.
After their tour bus breaks down, half the troupe is apprehended by the local sheriff (Grace Delaney) due to shoplifting by one of its members. The perpetrator, Rock (Anthony Simone) gets away from the sheriff and hides with the remaining stranded actors. The stressed leader of the delinquent theater troupe, J.D. (Andy Collins), has to keep it all together, even as he is confronted by frustrated Marvin (Tom Doyle) of their secretive, unspoken love for each other. Fresh-faced Arnie (Shaun Tuazon) is a local young man with big dreams. He longs to join the theater troupe, get away from the backwater town and run off to New York. Little does he know that within the theater troupe is an old love, emotionally torn Joe (Trevor Bowles).
Collins is rock-solid as the burdened JD, afraid to take a chance on love. Doyle is a sensitive and effective Marvin, with just the right amount of pathos and comical flare. Both these actors sing beautifully. Delaney is hilarious as the bumbling Sheriff Fetch, taking the term "hick" to new heights. Tuazon as Arnie shines with wide-eyed innocence and an eager smile that just won't quit. Simone portrays a troubled Rock with a light touch that still endears him to the audience. Bowles, the "straight" one struggling with his homosexual proclivities, is quietly effective as the taciturn Joe.
The show is very reminiscent of old-style Hollywood musicals. You half expect Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly to pop out at any moment. Characters talk about love and break into song with doe-eyed joyfulness often and well, and still, one does not tire of the cotton candy ensemble. Your attention never drops. It is refreshing to experience a gay-themed traditional musical since it's not something you often catch on TCM or AMC.
The predictability of the plot is offset by the unconventionality of the gay characters. At the same time, that's part of the beauty of Backwater Blues. Whether gay or straight, in the big city, or backwater towns, people just want to love and be loved. This musical shines through with the simple innocence of that desire and inserts its contemporary gay characters into a traditional format. From the beginning of the show, whether you like it or not, a smile forms on your face that just won't go away until you leave the theater. Suddenly, Toad Lake, Texas doesn't seem so bad after all.
