Thoughts on Tuck Everlasting

I don't know why the novel Tuck Everlasting isn't on my list of "loved it as a kid/continue reading as an adult" books.  That list is pretty long, but I guess Tuck just passed me by.  I know the plot, though, and I did go see the rather cheesy 2002 movie (gosh, that was a long time ago!).  But when it was announced that a new Broadway musical was coming, and that the musical would be written by the team who brought us Burnt Park Boys, which was one of my favorite musicals of the last few years, so all signs pointed to 'yes' that I would be going. The show doesn't open for another week or so, so I'll only offer a few thoughts.

Happily, the producers offered a discount for $19.75 tickets, honoring the year the book was published.  I was very happy to pick up one of those discounted tickets - I could even pick out my own seat!  Bonus!  I was in the mezzanine, in the sixth row, on the aisle.  It was very interesting - my row and all the rows behind me, in all three sections, were full. The seats in front of us were not.  My seat neighbors and I guessed that perhaps the price break happened in the row in front of us.  You would think someone on the production team would go upstairs and see how those higher priced tickets were going unsold. Wouldn't it be better to sell the tickets at a discount, to enthusiastic fans, rather than letting them go empty?  But what do I know?

Anyway, the musical.  I had a lovely time at Tuck Everlasting.  Do I think it's the best thing since sliced bread?  Probably not.  It's maybe a little too slight for that.  But it's a very well-crafted, lovingly-produced, beautifully-performed show that, if all things go as they should, it will be a nice alternative for families who are tired of Disney shows.  The songs are very smart and tuneful, with fantastic lyrics - maybe the best lyrics I've heard from a young writer in a long time.  They were really beautifully set onto the music and expressed plot, character and mood, all at the same time.  But I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, because I really liked the lyrics in Burnt Part Boys, too.

Do you already know the plot?  It IS a really well-known book, but I guess I could relay a bit of it (so here come some spoilers) - young Winnie Foster is a smart, funny, adventurous, lonely girl who recently lost her father. Her overprotective and grieving mother refuses to let Winnie leave the house, so, naturally, Winnie runs away. She runs into the woods where she meets a sunny young man, Jesse Tuck.  They have fun climbing trees together and enjoying each other's company, but when Jesse tries to introduce Winnie to his mother and older brother, they react with fear and indecision.  They decide to 'abduct' Winnie and take her to their cabin until they can figure out what to do.  The Tucks have a secret, you see, and Winnie's presence will force them to confront that secret head on.  How Winnie changes this family, and how she changes herself, is much of what Tuck Everlasting is about.  It's also about the ephemeral - how fleeting life is and how you have to grab love and life where you find it, as long as you can.  These are all very moving ideas and they're presented very movingly throughout the musical.

The performers are fantastic - Michael Park has been a longtime favorite of mine and he is terrific as Jesse's father, kind and loving, who can see the long- and short-term in the choices and decisions he makes.  Carolee Carmello, who can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned, is fantastic as Jesse's mother - she has an incredible song in the show, "My Most Beautiful Day," that is so simple and so elegantly moving, I was swept away.  Her warmth and empathy just filled the world.  All of the actors are great, actually (does anyone twinkle more than Andrew Keenan-Bolger?; I always love Fred Applegate; and young Michael Wartella impressed me greatly), but I will single out two others.

Terrence Mann is a quirky, creepy, funny, nasty, wild ride of a character as the Man in the Yellow Suit.  You can't take your eyes off him when he's on stage (and not just because he's wearing a bright yellow suit) - he is so invested and you can always see his wheels turning. He is the villain of the piece, but he's inserted so much oddball humanity into the character that you just can't help be engaged by him.

photo credit: Greg Mooney

Finally, Sarah Charles Lewis plays Winnie and, oh my.  That little girl carries this show on her shoulders with class, gumption and style.  She can sing terrifically and act just as well. Without a compelling Winnie, Tuck Everlasting couldn't succeed, because you have to have her to root for to find your way into the dilemma of the story. Lewis is a real find and I look forward to watching her mature as a performer in the years to come.

The physical production is also lovely - the tree where the 'magical spring' resides is enchanting, and the lights, costume and sound are all first-rate.  The story may be a tad slight, but it is getting a first class production all the same.  Did the songs start to sound similar by the end?  Maybe.  Did I understand, or even like, the ensemble dancing as spirits?  Probably not.  But the beautiful circle of life ballet at the end of the evening was so stirring and so moving, that I threw away my quibbles.  It was what dance can do - take a thought and express it without words, often with more breadth than words could show. So, I left the production on a weepy high, which is pretty much all I ask for some nights.  I do think Tuck Everlasting is worth seeing - discounts are out there, so you should take advantage of them and show this young writing team that they're worth supporting.