A surefooted "Doe"

How far would you go to get people to listen to you? Would you start a protest? Send around a petition? Call your senator? Commit suicide?

John Doe, concerned citizen of New York City, would.

In the original musical "Meet John Doe," set during the Great Depression, a man using the pseudonym John Doe begins to write to desperate journalist Ann Mitchell (the wonderful Heidi Bickenstaff), threatening to jump off of the Brooklyn Bridge on Christmas Day if he isn't listened to. To save her job and increase her paper's circulation, Ann prints the letters in the paper. The paper's popularity skyrockets as John Doe's words reach countless people, forcing them to realize what is truly wrong with their country.

There's only one problem with this ploy: As John Doe's popularity increases, people want to meet him. And there is no John Doe — all the letters were written by Ann.

What to do? Ann and her reluctant editor, Richard Connell (Guy Paul) hold auditions for the role of John Doe, looking through the legions of homeless for the perfect All-American Man. They discover a baseball-pitcher-turned-hobo named John Willoughby (James Moye), who agrees to play the part in exchange for corrective surgery for his arm and $5,000. But what begins as a simple plan — John will read the speeches that Ann writes — becomes more difficult and convoluted as Ann's words and John's face spread across the country, catching John and Ann up in a net of love and twisted human greed.

The story is complicated enough as it is to describe in words — imagine how difficult it must have been for lyricist Eddie Sugarman and composer Andrew Gerle to put to music! Yet they achieve it admirably, perhaps even going a bit overboard, as the majority of the play is told through the songs of the main characters. Gerle and Sugarman create a wide range of songs — from the patter-singing of "Page Eight at the Top" to the humorous "Money Talks" to the romantic, jazzy "Who the Hell…?"

That last song in particular gives Bickenstaff a chance to show off her sheer vocal power. Here is a woman who knows how to sing—she belts out her parts in "Who the Hell…?" and "I Hope You Can See This" with gusto, while able to switch seamlessly to songs like "Before You," which require a much gentler touch. Her voice is one of the highlights of an already-stupendous musical that shows off Bickenstaff's incredible gift for jazz.

Another actor who shone in his role was Joel Blum, who plays the Colonel, John's money-hating hobo-friend. Blum threw himself into his role completely, both physically and vocally. His part in the song "Money Talks" along with the slimy, conniving Beany (Stephen Gregory Smith) had the audience rolling in the aisles as he slunk his way across the stage a la Groucho Marx.
No play can be absolutely flawless, though. Moye, the man playing John, was strangely stoic in his role — a large turn-off, especially in such an integral role. It was difficult to take him seriously as a speaker able to win over the hearts of millions of Americans because he wasn't able to muster up the emotion for one simple facial expression. Moye's voice was acceptable, but it paled next to Bickenstaff's, with whom he shared several numbers.

Another low point was the play's strange affinity for silent, slow-motion applause and speech. At certain points, when Doe was making his speeches and someone else was singing in the foreground, Moye would slip into some sort of slow-motion ranting, waving his fists and finger in the air as though he was underwater. That, plus the addition of the ensemble clapping their hands silently and slowly together behind him made those scenes more ridiculous than anything else.

At first it seems as though "Meet John Doe" will be a light-hearted romp through Depression-era New York City. But please—pause to examine that sentence. It doesn't make much sense. The Depression was a time of extreme poverty, darkness, and hopelessness. At the beginning of the play, it seems as though the scriptwriter has chosen to ignore this important historical fact — but history buffs need not fear. Before too long, the hopelessness begins to seep in to the dialogue and actions, reminding both the characters and the audience that every action has its consequences. Contrary to first impressions, this play is not exactly a family-oriented adventure to Happyland, but even in the darkest of times, someone may be capable of summoning a glimmer of hope.