Theatrius
  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us
  • Search Icon

Theatrius

Theater Reviews—San Francisco and Beyond

“Men on Boats”─A Rollicking Pioneer Delusion, at ACT, S.F.

“Men on Boats”─A Rollicking Pioneer Delusion, at ACT, S.F.

November 5, 2018 Jennifer Charron

Jaclyn Backhaus Spins Men, Gender, & Western Lore

by Jennifer Ann Charron and Barry David Horwitz

In “Men on Boats,” Jaclyn Backhaus transforms the deadpan journals of a 19th century explorer into a thrilling, hilarious play that ridicules masculine myths and U.S. “Manifest Destiny.”

One-armed Major John Wesley Powell, (self-assured Liz Sklar) keeps meticulous journals of his death-defying expedition down the Colorado River, his personal record of this raucous voyage. Backhaus adds modern day lingo and casts ten manly-men explorers with women. Not a male in sight.

Sarita Ocón, Libby King, Annemaria Rajala, Katherine Romans, Rosie Hallett. Photos by Kevin Berne

The canyon walls loom above them─towering, orange-red topographic maps of endless canyons. The huge sliding panels of the “undiscovered” West lend a cartoon feeling to their river quest.

Director Tamilla Woodard’s womanist cast knocks us out with self-conscious male poses, endless macho chitchat, and boyish Daniel Boone outfits. The cohesive troupe operates like Ocean’s Eight, each character offering his/her unique, endearing skill in a crisis─with comic flair.

Sarita Ocón explains fishing to the team.

As they face starvation, Powell’s nemesis William Dunn (bold Sarita Ocón) opposes Powell’s gung-ho idealism with reason and doubt. Their confrontation puts the whole issue of daredevil maleness on the table.

These women amaze us with their mocking male antics in the Western wilderness─you have to laugh at the calm, rugged John Colton Sumner (impressive Libby King) and the exuberant cook Billy Hawkins (volcanic Amy Lizardo).

Lisa Hori-Garcia, Amy Lizardo, and Rosie Hallett

We’re also in love with the intrepid map maker Andy Hall (inspiring Rosie Hallett) and prissy British thrill seeker Frank Goodman (delicate Arwen Anderson.) Like a family on the road, the pioneers touchingly bond, tease, joke, and argue over directions. Real men must be right.

We are moved by their boyish antics and self-deceptions, and ponder their gender roles and attitudes. Their posturing makes a mockery of male pretensions, revealing gender as a learned role. These gender-bending glimpses create enormous laughs, but Backhaus has other fish to fry.  Her all female crew illuminates the in-your-face cowboy constraints on western maleness. It takes real women to do that─and makes great comedy.

Lisa Hori-Garcia, Rosie Hallett, and Annemaria Rajala

“Men on Boats” follows Powell’s first ever expedition─except for Native Americans, of course─down the Colorado River and into the Grand Canyon. The hardship of the journey is brilliantly portrayed on stage by the actors’ choreographed physicality.

Some want to abandon the trip; some believe in ‘friendly’ Indians. With a few funny props, we sweep down the Colorado River, clinging to three mock boats, screaming down wild waterfalls. Woodard’s precise direction is simply exhilarating.

Lisa Hori-Garcia, Arwen Anderson, and Liz Sklar

Backhaus ultimately questions what it means to be an explorer. Although Powell and friends claim they are discovering “virgin western territory,” we know better. Powell and Dunn are absurdly obsessed with naming land features after themselves.

“Men on Boats” pits caution against risk. Are we on an American adventure for the general welfare or just paddling along an ego trip? The all women team takes us down the Colorado to discover answers─with great fun and excitement. Watch out for those rapids ahead. And that rattlesnake! Best trip ever.

“Men on Boats”

“Men on Boats” by Jaclyn Backhaus, directed by Tamilla Woodard, by American Conservatory Theater at Strand Theater, San Francisco, through Sunday, December 16, 2018. Info: act-sf.org

Cast: Arwen Anderson, Rosie Hallett, Lisa Hori-Garcia, Libby King, Amy Lizardo, Sarita Ocón, Annemaria Rajala, Katherine Romans, Liz Sklar, and Lauren Spencer.

Banner photo: The Ensemble on the river. Photos by Kevin Berne


Plays
adventure, Colorado River, comedy, Explorers, Grand Canyon, Masculinity, Powell, risk, women

Post navigation

NEXT
“Cardboard Piano” Shocks with War & Love in Uganda, at NCTC, S.F.
PREVIOUS
“PlayGround 25” Celebrates Writers, Actors, Directors, at Berkeley Rep
Comments are closed.

Menu

  • Now Playing
  • All Reviews
  • Writers
  • Reflections
  • Millennial Notes
  • Join Us
  • About Us

BLM

Black Lives Matter

Subscribe for upcoming reviews!
Loading

Current Shows

  • “Private” Tears A Marriage Wide Open—at SFBATCO
  • “Dry Powder” Spotlights Wall Street Power-Brokers—at Left Edge
  • “Pride and Prejudice, The Musical” Enchants with Sass & Satire—at Ross Valley
  • “Clue” Melds Mystery & Comedy into Entertaining Adventure—at SF Playhouse
  • “Donna”: Intimate Interviews Celebrate Trans Triumphs—On Screen
  • “Fannie”: Sixties Spirituals Pave Path to Freedom—at TheatreWorks
  • “’Tasha” Tackles Raw Racism—at 3Girls
  • “Tea Party” Brews Up a Cup of America—at The Strand
  • “A Raisin in the Sun” Explodes with Drama and Power—at 6th Street
  • “Cambodian Rock Band” Deserves Its Standing Ovation—at Berkeley Rep
  • “Cambodian Rock Band” Mixes Nostalgic Hits with Terror—at Berkeley Rep
  • “Fun Home” Seduces with Strong Songs & Sultry Sass—at Berkeley Playhouse
  • “Anything Goes”: It’s Delightful, It’s Delicious, It’s De-lovely—at 42nd Street Moon
  • “SIX, The Musical” Celebrates Women’s Freedom & Individuality—at BroadwaySF
  • “Fun Home” Bursts with Love & Feeling—at Berkeley Playhouse

About us:

If you want to see the best plays & performances around the San Francisco Bay or beyond, read our reviews. We promise to give you a true report on the best shows.
Bay Area Critics Circle

Barry David Horwitz, Editor of Theatrius, is a Voting Member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle, SFBATCC. Follow us on: facebook.com

© 2023   All Rights Reserved.