By PHILIP VAN DIJK
It takes great acting to save a poor script in the same way it takes a great script to save poor acting. But on those rare occasions when a play possesses both a great script and great acting, that’s when the magic of live theater takes place.
And that is exactly what happens in Tim Slover’s “Joyful Noise.”
The fact that the script came from one man’s mind is phenomenal. It is so well written. It’s funny, it’s witty, it’s creative, it’s powerful, it’s thoughtful, and it’s historically correct. Very few scripts contain all of these elements. Here are some examples:
When Slover wants to point out the daft nature of a character, instead of droning on and on about how stupid and brainless the character is, he comes up with a great line like, “It begins and ends at the Cliffs of Dover with you, doesn’t it?”
Or sometimes he writes creatively ironic lines, like the one he wrote for Handel (Jason Tatom) when he states, “Good qualities are hard to overcome.”
Or when Kitty Clive (Katie Foster) tells Handel she feels “a trifle bit trifled with.” That’s good scripting.
Slover wrote several humorous lines for Handel, including “Why would I want to go to Germany? It’s full of Germans!” or “I never make sport, I am German.”
When Mary Pendarves (Colleen Baum) tells Bishop Henry Egerton (Benjamin Hoppe) that he “uncommonly vulgar, even for a Bishop,” that is good script writing.
Or when King George II (Cameron Deaver) bids the Bishop goodnight and tells him to “Have very unambitious dreams.” Slover’s tells so much about each character through his scripting.
And when Kitty Clive tells Handel she would not even use one of his compositions to dab off her makeup, Handel quips back that it would take a whole stack of compositions to dab off all her makeup.
But the apex of Tim Slover’s scripting is the discourse he wrote for Handel’s character on where God belongs in society. He writes that God “belongs in the mud” and “in the streets.” He writes that it is a mistake to keep God “boxed up in the cathedrals and churches” of the world.
This piece alone proves the mettle of Slover.
But as I mentioned before, it is not only the scripting that makes this play remarkable. The actors have an energy and chemistry that is uncommon.
Katie Foster is a pistol. Her portrayal of Kitty Clive is fantastic. She not only adds humor but she is as mean and believable as they come.
And what Jason Tatom lacks in his accent he makes up for in bringing Handel to life. I feel like I know Handel better than if I had read a biography on him because of the portrayal of his character by Tatom.
Director Bob Nelson deserves credit for what he does with the split stage. In many scenes he has the main scene in progress and then he shows what is going on in another character’s life at that moment. It’s a nice effect.
Stuart Lewis, the scenic designer, uses curtains and a few simple props to tell the story. He has even subtly painted lines and music from the “Messiah” on the floor of the stage. Not in a way that it was graffiti-like but in such a way that it adds to the inspiration of the composition.
Janet Swenson’s costumes are all up to the excellent standard she has become known for.
This play is very well done and in both scripting and acting and I will not be surprised at all if it becomes a hit outside of Utah.
