Come Get Maggie
Reviewed by Socks Whitmore
Rogue Machine Theatre at The Matrix
Through March 26
RECOMMENDED
John Perrin Flynn, the producing artistic director of Rogue Machine Theatre, states clearly in the program for their latest production: “We don’t do musicals.” And yet, the show itself — the world-premiere run of Come Get Maggie, a feature-length retro science-fiction/forbidden romance created by Diane Frolov and Susan Justin — is exactly that.
The two-act musical tells the tale of Maggie, a hyper-intelligent yet perpetually outcast young woman who becomes a groundbreaking physicist in her attempt to understand the universe and find a place where she belongs. In an attempt to conform to the sexist norms of the 1950s, she gives up her career for a life of housewifery, but she doesn’t expect to receive a visit from beyond the stars… or to meet the charming leader of the mothership who sees the beauty of her brains. Sparks of all kinds begin to fly, including those of the H-Bomb, and Maggie must use her brilliant mind to untangle the mess of it all before it’s too late.
As is not entirely untypical of Los Angeles theater, this wacky musical romp has brought together an impressive team of well-credited and highly awarded artists. Emmy-winner Michael Pressman notes that Come Get Maggie has reconnected him with past collaborators Flynn and Frolov (a recipient of Emmy, Peabody and Academy Awards): “It’s like bringing a family back together.” The production also sports accomplished choreographer Brooke Wendle (Dancing with the Stars, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade), music supervisor and arranger Albin Konopka (Cirque du Soleil’s O, Anything Goes national tour), TV regular Bruce Nozick (Weeds, The Last Ship), and Broadway veteran Chase Ramsey (Book of Mormon), amongst others. Together, this experienced collective of theater-makers brings Maggie’s absurd adventure to life — a fitting inauguration for Rogue Machine’s first musical.
Considering the company’s relative inexperience in the medium, the new musical comes together remarkably well. The performing ensemble is versatile and vocally strong; nods of appreciation must be given to the delicious falsetto by Dennis Renard as Varex, the skillfully expressive monotone delivered by Nicole Ledoux as Kwee, and the sheer range of male swing Eddie Vona. The futuristic set design is intelligently built, lending itself to complicated prop sequences and quick-paced scene changes. The costumes are equally smart and efficient, most especially the spinning globe head pieces that are regrettably only featured in the opening scene.
The seasoned leadership of Pressman and Wendle is present throughout the show, from peppy period dance moves and on-stage alien abductions to unspoken jokes and physical humor added between lines. And there’s plenty to get audiences laughing; the host of novelty songs inspired by Maggie’s unusual experiences, the outrageous band of characters that keep her on her toes, and the plethora of cultural references woven into the score, all under one purple intergalactic roof, make this particular musical like no other you’ve seen before.
The music of Come Get Maggie exists in a particularly interesting place; the vocal textures and counterpoint are notably inventive, likely to appeal to fans of Hadestown and Come from Away, and the lyrics (especially those regarding physics) feature a formidable number of well-researched, complex rhymes. In its current form, it’s unclear whether the show wants to be a musical or a rock opera because a fair bit of the score draws from operatic recitative, drawn-out dramatic moments, and sometimes even chanted verse. From a traditional musical theater standpoint, some moments are musicalized unnecessarily, and could be cut or streamlined to remove a good 15 minutes from the show’s runtime. The first 15 minutes are the weakest; they suffer from a lack of “show don’t tell” and rhythmic drive — but after two or three scenes the narrative pacing finally clicks.
This ambitious musical currently lacks an orchestra or band, so the areas in which the music presently struggles may be remedied simply by the bolster of a few more live instruments — the score is clearly still developing, and songs like “Tango with an Alien” will likely skyrocket from good to great following the show’s final polish.
Come Get Maggie is a delightful watch as is, but it does have room for improvement before it leaves the nest. The show justifies Maggie’s plight through repeated encounters with sexism and satirical takes on gender stereotypes, which are generally well-done (and even incorporate some canonical, refreshingly considerate gender non-conformity!), but by the end of the show, there are other women in positions of power that threaten to poke major holes in the plot. Auntie Ruth, the Mother’s Militia, and other side character interactions may need to hit the cutting room floor to uphold the show’s primary directive. The framing of the story’s delivery is also ambiguous; the occasional fourth wall breaks suggest Maggie is telling the story directly to the audience, but the libretto as a whole begs to differ. The script feels like it’s on its penultimate draft, and with one more push it could cross the line between a local stand-out and the potential for Off-Broadway. This show has real promise, and may one day find life beyond its home planet.
The Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles; Mon., Fri. & Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 3 pm; through Mar. 26. roguemachine.org. Running time: two hours with one intermission.
