Taking its name from the Joan Baez song of the 1960's,
"When you can't go on any longer
Take the hand of your brother
Every victory brings another
Carry it on, Carry it on"
the last offering of Theatricum Botanicum's season line-up is "Carry it On," a musical interpretation of great moments in American history. Part history lesson, part musical, part sing-along, this performance is a tour-de-force in the tradition of hoot-nannys, storytelling and poetry.
PHOTO BY MIRIAM GEER  Earnestine Phillips (left), Rowena Johnson (right), Willow Geer (background) in "Carry it On," a whirlwind tour of Americana which sings and shouts and whispers the inspiring story of how our country was shaped and founded. |
Gathering together a wide variety of characters from Harriet Tubman to Isadora Duncan to Michelle Obama, this play takes the audience through 250 years of war, fights, immigration, labor, politics and civil rights in the United States.
"Carry it On" was started by the theater's founder, Will Geer, with the next generation of the Geer family (Ellen Geer, Willow Geer, and Melora Marshall) continuing the tradition of presenting the story of the founding of the United States until the present day. We observe great moments in history seen through speeches, poetry and song - Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Mother Jones, Robert Frost, Cesar Chavez, Woody Guthrie and Martin Luther King.
Through the voices of the working class, the heroes, the leaders and the "rapscallions," we see a patchwork quilt of what makes up our cultural history and what it means to be from America. This play carries the story forward. In the words of the poet Walt Whitman:
"When America does what is promised
I announce natural persons to arise
I announce justice triumphant
I announce uncompromising Liberty and Equality
I announce a man or a woman coming
Perhaps you are the one. . ."
The play begins with an Indian posed on a bridge near the stage who comments about "green living." Indians, he proclaims, "make houses out of dead wood, the white settlers tear down trees" and disturb the earth.
Outstanding individual performances were given by William Dennis Hunt (as a strong, perfectly on note Walt Whitman); Melora Marshall shone brightest with her portrayal of Carrie Nation (holding a banner for The Women's Temperance League); Matt Van Winkle as James Polk; the wonderfully vocal Ernestine Phillips as Rosa Parks brought the house to tears. Also of mention was the powerful slave song, "Heart Reaching Out to Heart–Hands Reaching Out to Hands," and "Strange Fruit."
Mollyann Davis as Anne Frank and Leah Gutentag as a girl who works the bobbins in a cotton factory, gave powerful performances.
Ellen Geer was lovely in her pallet of characters from Emily Dickenson to an Irish immigrant, and did double-duty playing keyboard, flute and piccolo. Another highlight was Isadora Duncan's hypnotic dance of the scarves led by Rachel Appelbaum.
Back in the 1950's, Will Geer was a leader of social reform. Although, known to television audiences as Grandpa in the 1970s series, "The Waltons," Geer was also an important activist. In 1934, he became a member of the Communist Party, giving his support to a San Francisco labor strike that later became a model for future union strikes.
Throughout the 1930's, Geer toured work camps with folk singers like Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. When, in the 1950's he was blacklisted by Hollywood for refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, he built the Theatricum and offered acting and stage jobs to other black-listed performers. Here, in Topanga, he combined his interests in botany and acting and peace-loving. His Shakespeare Garden contains every plant mentioned in Shakespeare.
Although at times "Carry It On" attempts too much and borders on a sentimental view of history, there are enough touching moments to make it worth seeing. Also of note, every other show at the Theatricum was cast with a blind eye to age, gender and race. The overall effect created a company of actors, not individuals.
However, this play garnered attention because, for the first time all season, actors were cast by type. Although the play did a good job at taking the audience through four wars and 200 years of civil unrest and resolution, there was no mention of abortion or gay rights.
Directed by Will Geer's daughter, Ellen Geer, "Carry it On" is a whirlwind tour of Americana which sings and shouts and whispers the inspiring story of how our country was shaped and founded through its people; this play tells of their bravery, their sacrifice, their innovation, their trials, their freedom and, ultimately, their triumph. It is a wonderful trek through history that would be perfect for children or a family outing, with everyone coming away knowing just a little more about the history of America and its people.
"Carry It On" is at Theatricum Botanicum through September 18, with performances Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m., 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. Topanga, CA 90290, (310) 455-3723. Tickets prices: adults: $20-$32; seniors/students/equity: $15-$20; children (5-11): $10; children under 5: free.
