'Journey' worth taking
By Sean Leary, Entertainment Editor, ARGUS/DISPATCH -- June 27, 2003
Photo by Todd Mizener

New Ground Theatre will present 'Journey for a Reason' at 7:30 tonight and Saturday night and at 2 p.m. Sunday at Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf. Tickets ($12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors) can be reserved by calling (563) 326-7529 or purchased at the box office an hour before each performance.

It's tough enough to make any show about teen suicide fresh without being too glib or maudlin, but playwrights Chris Jansen and Andrew Wilder have upped the degree of difficulty even further with New Ground Theatre's "Journey for a Reason'' -- which not only revolves around the self-murder of an adolescent, but is a musical.

However, what easily could have been a disaster of "Cop Rock'' proportions, or an abundant spring of inadvertent dark comedy, is instead a compelling program that manages to masterfully mix moods -- albeit with one slip. It succeeds at being that most difficult of creations -- one that not only feels real, but boasts a strange combination of humor and drama that doesn't play with our emotions so much as it reaffirms their complexity.

At the onset of this "Journey,'' Sara (Alicia Jackson) is attempting to make sense of the suicide of her friend, Laura (Melissa Mooney), who seemingly had plenty of reason to live but little ability to see it through the morass of her problems. Inspired by her friend's pain and uncertainty, Laura makes a surprise appearance from beyond the pale to lead Sara through the circumstances that led her to suicide.

An abusive father, a lout of a boyfriend and self-applied academic and social pressures are laid out in a fashion that seems convincing to Laura but doesn't ring with quite the desperation for her friends and the audience. However, that's one of the strengths of the show. It demonstrates that perspective can be everything to dealing with problems, and the high pitch of adolescence always seems to magnify the emotions involved.

The casting of Melissa Mooney as Laura is brilliant. Ms. Mooney is far from the moody stereotype of a "troubled youth.'' Her Laura is beautiful, intelligent, responsible, cheerful and seemingly level-headed, making her action all the more harsh and pointless.

Likewise, the decision to make the show a musical works well, albeit in an unorthodox fashion. Musicals as a genre allow characters to express in song what they cannot in narrative, to dig below the facade on the surface. Making a show like this, where the main character had so much brewing beneath the exterior and the characters in general have a hard time expressing themselves, into a musical is a savvy move. During the group scenes, the wistful piano, percussion and vocal arrangements make the show feel like a slightly grown-up version of "Peanuts'' and carry the same bittersweet touches -- pleasant and warm upfront, but with a hidden poignancy.

The format also works to magnificent effect during a dance number that ends the first act. Laura, trapped by her even-keeled persona and feeling as if she has no outlet to express her frustration, breaks into a sad ballet seemingly as a last resort. But once more forced into the restraints of society, she ends up dancing her way one step closer to the grave.

There was only one moment when the musical element didn't work for me, near the end of the show, when Laura walks in on her friends at the school newspaper jumping through the upbeat "The Deadline Song.'' The song was fine and its metaphor -- dealing with the pressures of life and letting them go is akin to adapting to the ebb and flow of working in the nonstop blur of a newspaper office -- is a smart one. However, I think the snappy nature of the number put an unnecessary detour into the more serious arc the play had been building towards. I can understand the reason for it -- wanting to show how life goes on for the characters and moving toward the next action -- but I still felt its buoyancy was a distraction.

Nonetheless, that's a pretty tame complaint and far from any reason to avoid "Journey for a Reason.''

Once again, New Ground Theatre has proven itself to be the most daring and important theater group in the area in its short existence and maintained an unblemished track record of excellence. "Journey'' is exactly the type of show that has helped it build such a high reputation -- it's original, witty, moving and entertaining in a unique way.

I highly recommend you take this dramatic yet accessible "Journey.''

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