In the midst of March Madness, the 11th Hour Theater has chosen to premiere a new musical about sports on a campus. But not basketball. Not even baseball (which is in the middle of spring training.) This tribute to school athletes, instead, centers on a girls field hockey team.
The wackiness of that choice is emblematic of this show. The music and lyrics by Michael Ogborn poke fun at the earnestness of athletes and the extreme competitiveness of their coach, who was a former player. In this regard, she reminds us of the aggressive moderator (and former competitor) in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the hugely popular musical that also was about a group of quirky adolescents. Field Hockey Hot also has kinship with Grease, which satirized the 1950s just as this new show skewers the 1980s.
When the star goalie of the Applebee Academy’s Appaloosas is injured two weeks before the championship game against the Fur Trappers from Regina, Saskatchewan, coach Shipley Barnes will stop at nothing to win the title. As lustily played by Jennie Eisenhower, she cheerfully avers that the playoff game is “all about me; you may be in traction, but the victim here is me.” Throughout the show, Eisenhower highlighted her character’s obsession with the past and with her own legacy. She is so effective here that one momentarily forgets how well she has played serious roles, dramatic as well as musical (The Miracle Worker, Hedda Gabler, Parade, Wilde’s An Ideal Husband).
Baritone Rob Tucker hysterically impersonates Sister George Michael who hides a secret that provided the climax to the show. Earlier, he/she belts "Field Ev'ry Goal" as if it were “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from The Sound of Music.
Alex Keiper delightfully plays an orphan who is brought in to replace the injured goalie. Sean White emulates Madonna. Leah Walton with a low throaty voice is a hockey player who reminds me of Stockard Channing in Grease, and Michael Philip O'Brien impresses as the coach's son Champ. All contribute brash comedic performances and excellent singing. Dan Kazemi leads a solid on-stage band.
Ogborn has a talent for writing catchy tunes that also carry emotional weight. And he revitalizes every fad, song lyric and expression from that decade for comic effect, such as “Don’t cry out loud,” “I’ll say a little prayer for you” and “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” The team doctor who also worked at a fertility clinic is said to “put the art into artificial insemination.” As the plot thickens: “I need to see Victoria. Victoria may have the secret.” O’Brien’s direction references the style of the early music videos from MTV in the 1980s.
This is the first world premiere by the 11th Hour troupe. I can envision Field Hockey Hot having a long and prosperous life Off-Broadway. It’s a feel-good show with family appeal.
