Modern rock musical 'The Fix' ain't broke

Blue lights cast a hazy glow on a large American flag hanging from the ceiling of the Theatre~Intime stage, while wisps of cool gray smoke drift out into the audience. The twang of tuning guitars mixes with the soft chatter of those filtering into the theater. The mood is one of anticipation but also of relaxation.

It is Friday night, and the audience is here to see "The Fix," a new joint production of PUP and Theatre~Intime which opened April 17 and will continue to run this weekend, and the intimate space of the theater suggests a seductive blues club more than a theater where a cast of twenty University students are preparing to put on an ambitious contemporary musical.

This contradiction between the small dimensions of the theater and the large size of the cast reflects a tension within the play itself: "The Fix" may be a sweeping rock musical but director Rachael Timinsky '04 has succeeded in drawing out its tragic undertones while still emphasizing its blackly comic substance.

The play, written by Dana P. Rowe and John Dempsey, tells the story of the Chandlers, a Kennedy-esque political family with more than a little scandal to hide.

When Reed Chandler (Jeff Vinikoor '03), the heavy favorite in the presidential race, dies in the arms of his secretary, his scheming wife Violet (Amanda Czerniawski '03) and brother Grahame (Branden Jacob-Jenkins '06) develop a plan to groom the younger Chandler, Cal (Connor Allman '04), for office.

But, Cal's road to prominence is neither easy nor painless as he is forced into a public role that he does not wish to have and as his will is subordinated to that of his mother and his uncle.

Furthermore, as sex, drugs and political corruption begin to consume Cal's life, Grahame and Violet's scheming takes on greater significance and a darker comic edge.

"When directing this show I really wanted the audience to be able to see the individual characters as much as the big picture of the show," Timinsky said. "This is a really silly musical, and I pushed everyone — especially Grahame and Violet — to push the stereotypes. Yet at the same time I really wanted the audience to be able to care about Cal and everything that he is going through."

Allman brings a fresh-faced energy and idealism to the role of Cal, but a great deal of credit must also be given to Jacob-Jenkins, whose bitter portrayal of the tormented, crippled Grahame rarely hits a wrong note.

"Grahame is labeled as the mastermind behind the plot, and in a way the entire show is about his gradual crippling," Jacob-Jenkins said. "He was the prodigal son; he was suppose to be the 'golden boy' of the family — the future President of the United States — but his crippling has instead made him this monster."

This production of "The Fix" is the first tristate production of the show as well as the first amateur production and reflects Timinsky's dedication to securing the rights for the show, a process that took about a year.

"I saw a television special about the show when it was playing in London," Timinsky said. "I really liked this show, and so I worked with the rights company for about a year until the rights were released. It was a long journey to get the show here but it finally happened."

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Timinsky has also approached this musical differently from other shows produced within the Theatre~Intime space, seeking to expand the production instead of scaling it down. A wealth of flashy props, dramatic scene changes and large ensemble dance numbers choreographed by Sunny Park '03 and Aliza Kennerly '04 combine to create an ambitious, colorful production.

While "The Fix" is undoubtedly a modern rock musical in the tradition of shows like Tommy and Jesus Christ Superstar, the choreography contrasts with many of the more contemporary aspects of the show by emphasizing traditional Broadway choreography over more popular dance elements like hip-hop.

Park and Kennerly incorporate a wide variety of elements from many dance disciplines into the choreography, but the focus remains on large production numbers that feature some sort of "layering" — different groups of dancers performing the same moves one after the other — as well as all the dancers performing the moves in sync.

Also, with the show's high level of complexity, it provided a perfect opportunity for Theatre~Intime and Princeton University Players to combine their forces, Timinsky said.

"A show this massive technically and artistically needs the assortment of capable people working on it that Intime and PUP can offer," Kennerly said in an email. "I think this show is one that both organizations enjoy sinking their teeth into because of its technicalities and artistic merit."

Overall, "The Fix" is an all-out, exciting and energetic musical that not only sizzles with intrigue and corruption but also takes the audience on a twisted ride through a world of dark exaggerated humor that will certainly draw a smile to the face and leave the audience laughing long after the final song has been sung and the final flag has fallen across the stage.