A Lowell Historic Preservation Commission and Merrimack Repertory Theater presentation of a play in one act by Jon Lipsky based on Jack Kerouac's "Maggie Cassidy." Directed by David G. Kent.
Jack - David Zoffoli
Musician - Jeff Robinson
Mouse/Pop - John Plumpis
Maggie/Moe Cole/Mamere - Angela Christian
Well-intentioned though the idea behind the Merrimack Repertory Theater's Lowell Trilogy of new plays may be, the first two entries have been disheartening rather than elating. Neither John Lipsky's first installment nor this new "Maggie's Riff" pulses with theatrical life.
The trilogy began a year ago with a tribute to Lowell's Cambodian immigrants in Lipsky's "The Survivor: A Cambodian Odyssey," which had a major production in this year's Humana Festival of New American Plays at the Actors Theaters of Louisville, Now Lipsky turns to Lowell's French-Canadian townsfolk with his adaptation of Lowell native son and Beat generation prophet Jack Kerouac's autobiographical novel "Maggie Cassidy."
"Maggie's Riff" is reputedly the first adaptation of Kerouac's work to receive the cooperation of the Kerouac estate. Lipsky was granted permission to excerpt from the writer's published works, review his unpublished journals and letters, and adapt "Maggie Cassidy."
A basic difficulty here is that the novel is one of Kerouac's least distinctive works, concentrating as it does on his adolescence, first love and coming of age in Lowell around 1938-39. Onstage it's a tale that could be told about millions of teenagers almost anywhere; it's too generic.
The production, running 85 minutes, is a memory play made up of a series of riffs -- short scenes -- in which Kerouac (David Zoffoli) looks back from 1962, seven years before his death, to his teens in Lowell. He's a track star who eventually wins a football scholarship that takes him away from Lowell and his first, great love, Maggie (real name, Mary Carney, played by Angela Christian). The young Kerouac hangs out with best buddy Mouse (John Plumpis, who doubles as Kerouac's father), dates another local girl, Moe Cole (Christian again) and, frankly, does little of much theatrical interest.
There's an attempt to weld the 40-year-old and 16-year-old Kerouac by having Zoffoli play both, as well as to suggest Kerouac's word-intoxication and jazzy, bluesy beat by having an excellent onstage musician, Jeff Robinson, accompany or echo much of the dialogue with saxophone, hand drum, tuning forks and vocal scatting. Such attempts don't gel.
Primarily because of the dimensionless script, none of the characters, under the direction of David G. Kent, ever comes to life. "Maggie's Riff" is watered-down Kerouac, and truly evokes neither Lowell nor the late 1930s.
"Maggie's Riff" is set to be included in the first Intl. Beat Festival at New York University, May 18-22. The third play in the Lowell Trilogy has not been announced.
Set and costumes, Gary M. English; lighting , Kendall Smith; original composition/musical director, Steve Cummings; stage manager, Janet Tong; project consultant, Paul Marion; music performed by Rita Paquin. Opened March 30, 1994. Reviewed April 3.
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Date in print: Mon., Apr. 11, 1994