In our town
by Greg Boyle

The UMKC Theatre Department presents a new work called Slammed! this weekend. Subtitled Kansas City Speaks Out on the Recession, this piece is a compilation of statements made by local residents who were interviewed by the creative team of this play. 

Zachary M. Andrews, Amy Urbine and James Taylor play real Kansas Citians in Slammed! (photo by Kristi Lewczenko)

The subject matter could hardly be more timely. The depressed state of the economy is a topic of non-stop debate amongst the pundits and talking heads pontificating from every media source. The numerous causes of the downturn have the politicians from both ends of the spectrum pointing fingers at everyone but themselves. So many parts of our society have been affected, yet the statistics don’t usually have faces and names associated with them. Slammed provides both. These tales are all homegrown. The names and occupations of the Kansas Citians represented are projected on the walls and doors of the sparse set. Slammed uses folks from many different sources and walks of life, so it’s very possible that you will know, or know of, some of the contributors.

The creator and director, Stephanie Roberts, has put together a patchwork of scenes with Brechtian overtones. In Brecht’s Epic Theatre, dramatic interplay and character development took a back seat to teaching and political discourse. Slammed! has virtually no dialogue, per se. The actors mostly speak directly to the audience. During the course of the evening, the audience is tutored in a variety of topics. The speeches vary in length and complexity, but all told, the author(s) have done a fine job of explaining the necessary concepts, and the actors deliver them exceptionally well. The words of UMKC professors and local bankers are used to explain the subprime mortgage crash and the reaction of the banks. Local merchants and artists talk about the drastic effect the recession has had on their businesses. A theatre director bemoans the drying up of donation money. The words of directors of community social service organizations and of a police captain describe how dramatically their jobs have been impacted by the increased joblessness and homelessness in the current economy.

In spite of the topic, the show has quite a few laughs. It’s the old story of “if you didn’t laugh, you’d have to cry.” Eric Graves as the stained glass artist brings down the house with his explanation of how the recession has affected his business, and there is a continuing story line of the suddenly broke 60’ish advertising man, and his plans for revenge. Zachary M. Andrews has the audience laughing every time he walks onstage, before he even has a chance to speak. 

Not all of the evening is devoted to the downside of what’s happening in people’s lives. There are several episodes that focus on the positive aspects. The possibility of an enhanced sense of community, of all being in the same boat, is mentioned. The power of positive thinking is touted as being the way to solve your troubles. And lastly a belief that everything happens for a purpose is cited by several of the persons interviewed.

There are a couple of particularly interesting sequences. The opening sequence is terrific. The large cast makes numerous entrances and exits, sometimes interacting with others, sometimes merely taking a moment onstage before going off. The effect is exquisitely dynamic and promising of delicately choreographed scenes to come. Unfortunately, that is the lone moment of interesting movement in the entire evening. Because of the limitations of the style, the staging is very static. However, because most of the “scenes” are kept short, the comings and goings of the large cast help add a sense of movement to a certain degree.

In an unexpected twist, the creators have added a word-for-word snip from the James Stewart movie, It’s a Wonderful Life late in the show, and it is uncannily on target, both in an acting sense, and in the message the scene delivers.

My favorite part of the piece was an original song called “Up the River.” It was early in the show, upbeat and funny, with a catchy tune and was very well sung, to boot. Also beautifully sung with multiple harmonies was a Stephen Foster song called “Hard Times.”The unfortunate thing about it was that it was too long. That is my general complaint about Slammed! It needs serious editing. It makes its point early, and then repeats it again and again. The show could easily have been over at intermission.

For an evening of very instructive theatre, see Slammed! KC Speaks Out on the Recession playing through Sunday at the Performing Arts Center on the UMKC campus. The performances are at 7:30 Friday and Saturday and 2 PM Sunday in Studio 116. Seating is very limited, so reserve your seats and arrive on time. Box office 816-235-6222.