By Brian Gray
The first thing you’ll notice as you enter the set of Men on Boats in Studio 115 on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City is the floor. Designed by Haley Nowicki, the floor is painted to look like a topographical map of the Colorado River enlarged to cover the entirety of the Black Box Theatre. Two large rolling triangle platforms are also set against a back wall resembling mountains. Assisted by Drew Bielinski’s lighting, hues of red and oranges dominate, assisted by the resembling the red rocks of the southwest United States where we find the heroes of the play, the explorers of the 1896 Colorado River expedition led by John Wesley Powell. I note the set first because the rugged unforgiving landscape in which this play takes place is as much a character as the explorers, as it tosses and turns the explorers, battering them and leaving them, at times, desolate.
Jacklyn Backhaus’ depiction of the John Wesley Powell’s 1896 expedition is exciting and intriguing, blending the modern with the historical, and creating layers of depth in the storytelling. On the surface, Men on Boats is about Powell (played by Mary-Helen Pitman) leading a group of gruff, rugged men, many of them veterans of the Civil War, down the Colorado River. Along the way, they experience various hardships and setbacks, such as boats capsizing, running low on food and supplies, and skirmishes among the crew. Backhaus is fairly accurate in the account, at times lifting lines for the script directly from Powell’s journals that he kept throughout the expedition. Along the way, crewmembers abandon the expedition as hunger sets in, while other crewmembers resolve to complete the trip. At the end of the journey, they are greeted by what seems to be a religious figure who gives a stirring speech about how Powell will be remembered while the rest will be forgotten or left out as the story is told and retold and retold.
The blending of the modern and historic is prevalent throughout the script, as some of the characters deliver lines that have a somewhat contemporary slant. This is most apparent when Powell meets with a nearby Ute tribe to ask for food. In this exchange, the Utes, played by Nadia Sine and Jayna Camilla Payo Balzer, subtly point out the irony of white men asking for assistance from the people they have colonized and forced relocation. In the exchange, the two members of the Ute tribe relent, and allow the explorers to take the sustenance they need while repeating the refrain “…will that be enough?” as though asking if the white men will ever cease in taking from indigenous people. This exchange, which actually occurred on the expedition, is enlivened through modern contextualization of colonialization.
A production of this play requires an incredible amount of imaginative ability from the cast, as it is very movement-heavy requiring elaborate choreography to represent the ebbs, flows, waterfalls, and whirlpools of the Colorado River. The cast must also transition to intense personal interactions of the characters. Fortunately, this cast comes through in a big way. Costumed in scraggy weather-beaten clothing of the times (designed by Ariana Hatch), the cast fills out the characters to a high degree. Pitman takes the lead as Powell, but, as an ensemble, each cast member meshes well with each other to create palpable moments of tension and excitement.
The directorial decisions made by Sarah Shippobotham were intriguing, beckoning audiences to stretch their imaginations. Of course, it’s impossible to bring in a whole river into a black box, and using full-sized boats would be impractical. But working with these limitations, Shippobotham manages to create a greater reality for the audience as the play unfold. The “boats” are represented as single pieces of rope holding the crews together. The elaborate choreography utilizes the entire stage to represent the rapids, whirlpools, and waterfalls of the Colorado River. My favorite scenes were those that took place in slow motion, such as when young Bradley Hall (Ireland Nichols) falls overboard and the world slows down as he starts to drown, right before he is pulled aboard another boat. All of these elements come together brilliantly, putting the audience in the middle of the adventure.
Of course, the elephant in the room for Men on Boats is the casting. In the casting notes of the script, Jacklyn Backhaus specified that all roles must be played by women or women-identifying actors. This seems counterintuitive considering it is a story that is predominantly about men. In interviews, Backhaus was asked why she chose to require the women/women-identifying casting. Her response was that she wanted to write a story about the 1869 expedition, but realized that she couldn’t be in it if it was cast according to traditional gender roles. What this does, of course, is raise the obvious questions about gender norms, and gender performativity. There are also divergent conversations about women who have been left out of history, and how women aren’t traditionally allowed to be explorers. Furthermore, there arises conversations about the considerable lack of female roles in theatre. What the casting does, more or less, especially for young audience members, is communicate that there should be no limitations as to who can go on adventures, explore, and discover. Of course, for me, the only time that gender was an issue throughout this production was before and after the play, when the topic was broached in discussion with other audience members. But during the play, all of that dissolves as the cast adeptly guides the audience on enthralling adventure.
If you’re looking for an intriguing and sophisticated play about adventure and exploration, Men on Boats at the University of Utah is your play.
There is some adult content with the gruff language of the script, so this play may not be appropriate for audiences under 10 years old.
If you are not familiar with the University of Utah campus, I encourage you to look up the location before arriving, and arrive early to give yourself time to park and find the building.
A fantastic supplement to this production can be found here.
University of Utah Theatre presents Men On Boats by Jacklyn Backhaus
Performing Arts Building located west of the U Bookstore, 240 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City, Utah, Parking available in the visitors lot or at the Rice Eccles Stadium
March 1-9, 7:30 PM, March 9-10, 2:00 PM
Tickets: General $18, UofU Fac/Staff: $15, Seniors (60+)/Military: $15, $8.50 for non-University of Utah student
Contact: 801.581.7100
University of Utah Department of Theater Facebook Page
College of Fine Arts, U of U Facebook Page
Men On Boats Facebook Event
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