This Fall’s theater production was well worth the price of admission. Unlike last year when I entered the performing arts center with high expectations for ABBA bangers in “Mamma Mia,” I had no idea what to think when the lights dimmed for the Monday showing of “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.”
The first thing of note was the spectacular set that the crew put together. The set was mostly unmoving, a complex structure of shambled wooden frames that looked at home in the slums of 20th century America where the play is primarily set. On the highest platform sat a skeleton crew orchestra that performed a live score throughout the show, consistently hitting the emotional beats better than preloaded tracks ever could. Not that the cast needed any help.
Getting into vague spoilers, the plot is wide and expansive. It covers the decades long story of Edward Tulane, a dapper rabbit china doll that undergoes a transformation from a loveless narcissist to a humble, empathetic soul with an appreciation for the miraculous life he’s been given. Through his journey Edward Toulane meets grieving parents, free-spirited bums, a sick little girl, and a caring brother-figure, that lead him through his transformation while he guides to the constellations, eventually returning to where he started, more human than doll with all his life experience with grief, love, and hope.
Senior Bryce Hobbs takes the lead as Edward Tulane, interestingly representing the doll’s spirit that does the talking throughout the play. Hobbs was fantastic in this role and embodies the character perfectly. It’s usually hard to forget that you’re watching students that you’ve known for years on stage but Bryce made it look easy, slipping into a nuanced character whose growth you could feel from the back row. Edward starts as one of those familiar annoying characters that you’d think would be obnoxious for the entire show based on your first meeting with him. However, not far into the show, not only was Edward sympathetic and endearing, but a joy to watch increasingly with each new encounter.
Other stand-outs to me included senior Andie Cotto, who played the grieving mother that took in Edward as a surrogate daughter. She played a kind of quiet sadness that could have easily been overdone, but I thought translated extremely well on stage.
Seniors, Reece Cotto and Kendrick Tewasilmal bordered on ridiculous in only the best way. Reece brought insane gravitas to his role as Bull the Hobo, and Kendrick’s portrayal of a mangy dog genuinely made me fear for what kind of people are roaming our halls, secretly harboring the spirit of a schnauzer. Both were fantastic used with just enough reservation to keep you wanting more of them.
Credit it to the last night of the show, practiced precision, or both, but technically the show was nearly flawless. The smoke, lighting, creative uses of the set, and one particularly shocking sound effect of thunder shook me out of any impulse to settle in my seat for the duration of the show. You could tell a lot of heart and work went into “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” and if you got the chance to see it you were lucky. If not, make sure to catch the next theater production in Spring.
