Alternative Theatre Company's Lummox, Texas at On The Spot Theatre
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 4/15/00
(out of )What more timely a piece can Actor/Playwright John Haubner create than a play that explores the motivations and ramifications of a homosexual-based hate crime? Though claiming to have been written before the tragedies of Matthew Sheppard, Columbine, and James Byrd, the play is riddled with references that cannot escape the inevitable links. By creating the account of eight inhabitants of the fictionalized town of Lummox, Texas, and combining lurid facts about the murder of a hero high school quarterback because of a suspicion of homosexuality, Mr. Haubner has attempted to dissect the bad and good of a horrific crime. Here, not only has Mr. Habner written the piece, but plays every one of its characters, from narrator Ryan to victim's sister, Hannah. The resulting piece, produced by The Alternative Theatre Company, is a well-acted, though over-long offering that touches on many pertinent issues, tosses in a few twists, but ultimately seems to give too much credit to the power of healing.
Lummox is your typical Midwestern town of 2,500 souls. It has that Texas-sized obsession with high school football, where parents live and die on the greatness of their children. It resides in the buckle of the bible belt, where Pastor Tim hands his own moral edicts from his pulpit. It has too many people who know too much information about everyone else, true or not, while also offering enough tolerance to leave a mosquito thirsty. It is a mix of all of these that leads to the murder of their star quarterback, Scott.
One man shows tend to be doomed, in my opinion, unless they are unbelievably engrossing and professionally acted. Mr. Haubner has the professional acting part down, save for slight failings with two of the eight creations. His presentations of such characters as fellow student to murderers and victims, Ryan, and the moralistic Pastor Tim are well-crafted. From the repentance of one of the murderers, to the surprising and chilling lecturing of the other, Mr. Haubner slides into these characters' skins, giving more than different accents, but completely different feels to these people. It is only with his creations of the younger sister, Hannah and the old coot, Sam, that presentation becomes affectation.
While generally engaging, the piece ultimately goes over little new ground. It fails to give enough grey to the generally black and white players of this tragedy, and cops out at the end, never questioning if Lummox's ultimate conversion is anything more than lip service. Also, while well-written, the characters that populate this piece are uniform in tone and intelligence. Eloquence is not a trait that everyone in Texas retains, no matter how much Texans may disagree. Not surprisingly, the two presentations that did not work can be traced to textual problems. While somewhat interesting, these two characters can be eliminated and their revelations folded into others in a way that will make the piece shorter and more powerful.
Director Wanda McHatton has crafted the offering well, keeping the pacing brisk and the transitions sharp. While some of the characters have hooks that become repetitious (from Pastor Tim's playing with his glasses to Hannah's playing with her hair), most others are completely natural. Annoyingly, though, she has included a horrendous soundtrack that takes ominous to oppressive proportions.
With this play so centered on men, the single inclusion of the sister calls into question whether more women need to populate this endeavor, and thus open it to a two-person play, which seems more hospitable, or if the strength lays in its male POV. Future drafts can address this and other darker issues that are generally given short shrift, guaranteeing that this could be a very polished, very engaging work in the future.
Production Details:
Lummox, Texas by John Haubner
The Alternative Theatre Company
On The Spot Theatre, Phoenix
(623) 934-0979
April 7th - 30th, 2000