'Flood's' voices soar, emotions sink

It is on this last point that "The Flood" begs to differ with O'Hara, proving that land is just as temporal as everything else. Indeed, it is the ever-changing force of water that takes center stage in this musical, as all of the characters focus obsessively on the River (Jasmine Harris '10 - yes, the River is played by a person) and appear to be more interested in its movements than in each others'. Yet like in "Gone with the Wind," in the end it is love - for the land - that holds the people of fictional Meyerville, Ill., in place, even if that love is not for the best.

Set during the 1993 flood of the Mississippi River and first performed in 2001, the musical was written by Peter Mills '95 and Cara Reichel '96. This particular production does not even attempt to be subtle about its references to Hurricane Katrina. The parallel is particularly apparent in the scene where the townspeople examine their Federal Emergency Management Agency packages, singing mournfully about how inadequate they are.

Cast with one brilliant singer after another, the musical weaves in and out of the characters' lives, delving as deeply as musicals ever do into their motives and anxieties. Jonathan Schwartz '10 does a remarkable job as Curtis Mowers, filling the small theater with his powerful voice, seeming perfectly content with his simple way of life and adorably confused as to why his girlfriend, the schoolteacher Susan Frye (Stacy Testa '10) does not feel the same way. Perhaps the best performer in the play is Laura Hankin '10 as Rosemary, the mentally retarded 15 year old whose creepy kinship with the River eventually leads to her downfall.

Despite the cast's considerable talent, however, there is a hurried feel to the play. Even throughout the two love stories and the scenes about the characters' somewhat hackneyed desire to "run away," the viewer is left impatient for the Flood. There is so much fluff in the play, so many storylines and characters, that by the time the Flood actually does come, it just seems like an excuse to sing more songs.

The real flaw of this production, however, is that it is too perfect, too polished. The play has no rawness, none of the desperation that such a disaster would realistically warrant. Indeed, it's clear that the actors are just a bunch of Princeton students, pretending they understand what it feels like to lose everything they own in the world. Considering the play in the context of Hurricane Katrina, it is almost horrible that the characters cope with the disaster so lightly. Mowers, looking out onto his sunken town, remarks that his loss is "only money." So far removed from the reality of the situation, there is no sense of tragedy. And it is here that the play really fails.

One scene that struck me as especially out of touch is when Susan, the schoolteacher, has just returned to her house via boat, and she sings a song in her Broadway-worthy voice about how impressed she is by all the "Things That Float." The scene is supposed to be a hopeful promise that she can now move on to bigger and better things in life, but such an easy detachment from her past is actually very disturbing. Dumping her dead father's photograph back into the water, she leaves the house and her adoring fiancee in search of big-city excitement. She hasn't had a hard time moving on and, to be honest, I didn't really miss her.

As for the characters who bravely rebuild the town on higher ground near Meyerville, resisting nature's clear "No Trespassing" sign, their decision is uninspiring. Instead, I felt that their choices are almost ridiculous. The ending does not provide the touching realization that the land is the one thing these people refuse to let go. Rather, it merely provoked me to ask why such educated, eloquent people would stay on in such a miserable environment when they obviously do not belong there.

In their directors' notes, Sara-Ashley Bischoff '09, who is also a staff writer for The Daily Princetonian, and Molly Borowitz '09 say that the main theme they wished to portray centers on the hope for a new start at life. "The Flood" certainly has promises of a new beginning for the people of Meyerville, but the only hope I see is that their new life is not as precarious as the one the River washed away.

"The Flood" will be showing in Matthews Acting Studio at 8 p.m. March 6-8 with a matinee at 2 p.m. March 8. For tickets, order online at princeton.edu/utickets, or call the Frist Campus Center Ticket Office at 609-258-1742.

3 of 5 paws

Pros: Excellent singers, well-executed production, very smooth.

Cons: Musical genre doesn't fit the serious theme, seems a bit too lighthearted for a tragedy.