Theater review by Raven Snook
Five years ago, when playwright Talene Monahon began talking to historical reenactors of American wars, their offbeat pastime probably seemed oddly charming. But after the 2016 election, the political battles of the present started to seep more overtly into their commemorations of the past, making for quite uncivil wars. It's no wonder, then, that Monahon's fascinating if unfocused docutheater play How to Load a Musket, woven from verbatim interviews with hardcore costumed hobbyists, starts off kooky and sweet before coming out with guns blazing in a polarized post-45 world.
The bang-up ensemble, all double cast, makes sure these eccentrics never come off as caricatures or villains, even when they are spouting incendiary stuff—as when fiftysomething Virginian Jeffrey (an empathetic Richard Topol) compares the removal of Confederate flags and monuments to “a genocide” against his heritage. We also hear from reenactors of color (David J. Cork and Nicole Villamil) who want to correct the whitewashing of history by highlighting little-known stories of black and Latinx people in centuries past.
Director Jaki Bradley smartly avoids trying to stage any skirmishes; there’s action enough in the emotionally charged testimony these folks deliver directly to the audience. But while much of what they have to say about the United States, both then and now, is thought-provoking, How to Load a Musket, produced by Less Than Rent Theatre, still feels like a work in progress. Monahon's noble effort to give everyone a voice, including herself—she appears as a character in the play—results in a kind of cacophony. But perhaps that's the point: How can we ever hear each other when everyone's screaming at once?
59E59 Theaters (Off Broadway). By Talene Monahon. Directed by Jaki Bradley. With ensemble cast. Running time: 1hrs 25mins. No intermission.
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