Tue. June 19, 2012
By Michael J. Roberts
Director Peter Marston Sullivan has given us an epic and poignant Floyd Collins and will surely be regarded as one of Boho's greatest achievements. Sullivan has brought together a cast that works as a seamless unit. As the title character, Jim DeSelm is sensational. From his first entrance, DeSelm instantly connects with the audience on a visceral level and never lets go untill the final scene. Equally as engaging is Jon Harrison as Floyd's brother Homer. It is Harrison and DeSelm's scenes together that give this production its emotional wallop.
This production also benefits from Alan Bukowiecki's masterful musical direction of Adam Guettel's difficult score which is at times very dissonant. Every lyric is understandable and every harmony is spot on. The choral numbers can glue you to the back of your seat and then at the next moment, bring a tear to your eye. The orchestrations leave nothing wanting and at the performance I attended, conductor Allison Hendrix kept perfect balance of the orchestra's sound, never drowning out the cast.
All other aspects of this production come together seamlessly. Christopher Kriz' sound design makes you feel the vastness of the cave through echos, and Diane D. Fairchild's set and lighting design give the cast a perfect place to tell Collin's tale.
Floyd Collins runs through July 15th at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. For more information visit www.BoHo.org. For tickets please visit www.theaterwit.org or call 777.975.8150
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