Review - The Ride

'The Ride' measures war's emotional legacy

 By HALEY PATON

[ Originally published on: Thursday, April 28, 2005, in The Daily Hampshire Gazette]

SPRINGFIELD - If you're looking for a Broadway-style, Andrew Lloyd Webber-type performance, ''The Ride'' is not the musical for you.

This show, written by Danny Eaton and with original songs by longtime Valley musician Mitch Chakour, is more of a play with a few musical sequences and a lot of solos than a standard full-blown musical - which works if you're looking for something with a little more depth and a little less flash.

''The Ride'' walks the fine line between telling a story about individuals and telling a universal tale with archetypes of those whose lives were affected by the Vietnam War.

A slow start is made up for by stand-out performances, a few surprises and a poignant ending.

The show, at West Springfield's Majestic Theater, opens with Bill, played by Jim Vivian, cheery and singing about his new leather duds and motorcycle.

While Bill never fought in Vietnam, his best friend, Tommy, has been declared dead after being MIA for years. So, Bill has decided to take his wife, Annie, and Annie's best friend, Libby, on a motorcycle trip to the Vietnam War memorial in Washington, D.C. Clearly, Bill is going through a mid-life crisis.

The effect is great, except for the fact that the music is a bit loud and Vivian just doesn't have a strong voice. Although the enthusiasm he brings to the role makes up for his lack of vocal depth, Vivian's performance still isn't quite enough to really grab your attention.

What does grab your attention, though, is Christine St. Amant Green as Libby.

Green is magnetic. Libby has a quick wit, and Green successfully captures her character's knack for lightening the mood, without going over the top and distracting from the weight of the story.

Her performance provides balance for Annie, played by Cate Damon, who spends much of the play consumed by the loss of her husband's best friend, who was also her fiancￇ.

That's not to say, however, that Libby is without deep loss of her own. Tommy was Libby's brother, and she had always thought that Annie would be her sister-in-law.

Doc, The Scrounger, and Coy, the Vietnam vets that the trio befriend along the way, are what ground this story in reality. Dialogue and good acting combine to make for deep characters that are as entertaining and funny as they are moving.

Each is charming and touching in his own right, although Daniel Kennedy as Doc and Greg Alexander as Coy, stand out for their vocal performances.

The cohesiveness of the cast as a whole is one of the most enjoyable elements of the performance. For a short time, the civilians and the veterans come together as one, and the actors make this grouping believable.

''The Ride'' is playing at The Majestic in West Springfield through May 29. Tickets are $17 to $25. For tickets, show times and other information, call 747-7797.