Scotland, PA
Closing Date: Dec. 8, 2019
Laura Pels Theater
(at the Harold & Miriam Steinberg Center for Theater)
111 W. 46th St.
212-719-1300
Music & Lyrics: Adam Gwon
Book: Michael Mitnick
Director: Lonny Price
Choreographer: Josh Rhodes
Cast: Jeb Brown (Duncan), Jay Armstrong Johnson (Banko), Taylor Iman Jones (Pat), Megan Lawrence (McDuff), Ryan McCartan (Mac), Will Meyers (Malcolm), Stacey Wonu Ogunfowara, Doug David Rossmer, Jessie Alysha Umphress, Hector Kaleb Wells
Based on “Scotland, PA,” William Morrissette’s 2001 indie cult film, this off-Broadway production sees the action moved from the serious 1600s to the stoned out 1970s, but is actually thoroughly relevant in this ear of ambition at the expense of good sense. In this musical riff on “Macbeth,” Shakespeare’s story of political power plays gone awry gets re-imagined as a humorous commentary on greed and fast-food mania. In this Pennsylvania town (an actual place, who knew), slacker Joe McBeth, known as Mac (played by slightly awry Ryan McCartan, “Heathers — The Musical”), fields his innovations for struggling burger joint Duncan’s (like a drive-through window — can you believe that!) to asshole boss Duncan (Jeb Brown, “Beautiful”) who obviously squashes them. But Pat, Mac’s wife (Taylor Iman Jones, “Groundhog Day”), who also works there, does mind. And she ain’t taking it lying down.
This version reworks McBeth’s dramatic plot points into a criminalized song-&-dance dramedy. Such hybrid predecessors as “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Sweeney Todd” were also based on other media properties and they also used murder as a musical comedy device, but they were base on more traditional music heard in stage productions. Well-sung and acted by a capable cast who generally avoids overplaying the over-the-top characters, Composer Adam Gwon’s music and lyrics have a classic-rock core that drives them.
For example, in “What We’ve Got,” The smoky-voiced Jones as Pat reveals her frustrations with the situation: “You want one more night eatin’ from cans?” she sings. “You could be someone makin’ great big plans.” And in “Everybody’s Hungry,” Mac concurs, “Time to get in on the chase/Shoutin’ to the cosmos/Like I own the whole damn place.”
Those frustrations result in a nefarious though justified criminal response. Once murder takes place — though unintentionally — the ascent and inexorable descent of Mac and his mate result. Along the way, little side character developments occur — some enhancing the story, some not so much.
When the steps to hamburger heaven and franchise possibilities —and the incumbent riches — lead to crime, the principals try to place blame elsewhere. A homeless man (David Rossmer), gets framed for Duncan’s murder. So does Duncan’s son Malcolm (Will Meyers), a high school student who’d rather play football (for secret reasons) than inherit the fast-food “kingdom.” Though this Malcolm tracks nicely with the one in “Macbeth,” this “Banko” (Jay Armstrong Johnson) doesn’t really line up with Banquo. Here, a dim but ingratiating co-worker of the McBeths called Banko — that is, Anthony Banconi — is tricked into providing them an alibi. That in turn generates a number called “Kick-Ass Party,” in which he adopts his full long-haired surfer-dudeism to make it happen.
When the detective who is finally sent to investigate arrives at the end of Act 1, Peg McDuff only tangentially relates to Shakespeare’s Macduff — and unlike the movie’s detective (who was played by Christopher Walken) — this one’s a woman. So when detective McDuff (Megan Lawrence) appears, she happens to be, to no one surprise, a vegetarian which further aligns the story within the realm of burger empire building rather than in an actual kingdom like the classic play.
With the burger biz spotlighted this is a case study in ambition gone awry — not only drawing on Big Will’s MacBeth but also referencing the actual story of macDonald’s evolution from a local burger joint to the corporate colossus it became.
Though entertaining, “Scotland, PA” suffers from some structural missteps and lots of logical lapses such how they go from hatred to murder. Maybe that’s because the transition from such a serious Shakespearean classic to this sometimes silly, over-the-top transposition doesn’t always make it quite make sense.
But one of the best twists to this weirdo update that McBeth’s three witches, who add a touch of the creepy in the original, are transformed here into pot-puffing hippies — Jessie, Hector, and Stacey (Alysha Umphress, Kaleb Wells, and Wonu Ogunfowora) an amusing set of narrators who suffer from a perpetual case of the munchies.
Offering a balance between silly and serious, it makes its points with a modesty not quite befitting a show that is targeting Broadway. That’s more than can be said for Shakespeare, whose overt efforts at psychological profundity got unintentionally over-the-top without having a stoner or two in the story line. For anyone who loves a show looking for its cult, catch this before it closes in any case.