To give it the benefit of the doubt, were there more youngsters in the house on opening night, Theatrical Outfit's "The Adventures of High John the Conqueror" might have been a totally different experience.
With most "family-friendly" theater, it's often the feedback from children in an audience that best determines whether a show is or isn't getting its age-appropriate point across. But essentially played to a crowd in which adults appeared to outnumber kids by 3- or 4-to-1, without a lot of audible response to indicate any real sense of youthful engagement, this particular performance of "High John" seemed all the more sluggish.
Conceived and directed by the veteran storyteller Rob Cleveland, the hour-long play reunites the actor Cleveland with the winning Eric J. Little (his co-star from the late Theatre in the Square's grown-up drama "Blue Door"). The two create a relaxed rapport -- with the audience and among themselves -- as they take turns spinning a series of tales, ranging from the ancient fables of tribal Africa to the slavery-era folklore of the American South.
In most cases, the vignettes don't end with a moral so much as a punch line. Presumably in the interest of keeping things simple for its target audience, "High John" resists dwelling on anything too serious. Although there are profound correlations to be drawn between the stories of one time and place and the other, for example, Cleveland basically lets it slide with a winking aside: "Yeah, yeah, we all know where this is going."
Two other potentially meaningful scenes are also squandered. That some of it could have gone over the heads of little ones is no excuse, really, for paying such passing and matter-of-fact attention to the arrival of the first slave ships in Africa or, later, the freeing of slaves on plantations across the Deep South.
Its minimal production values prevent "High John" from generating much in the way of stylistic atmosphere, too. At the back of the sparse set is a large screen suitable for video projections that only make a significant impact during the show's closing moment.
After a couple of mildly amusing audience-participation routines, nearly 30 minutes have elapsed before Cleveland finally quips, "I know what you're thinking. This is supposed to be about High John the Conqueror." Was he an African prince sold into captivity? A mythical spirit in human form? The slave from whom Joel Chandler Harris derived his popular Br'er Rabbit books? The historical and biographical details remain sketchy at best.
When all is said, the power of oral traditions is that timeless stories need only actors of Cleveland and Little's caliber to hold our interest. When all is done, on the other hand, as a theatrical endeavor, "High John" may underwhelm younger and older audiences alike.
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THEATER REVIEW
"The Adventures of High John the Conqueror"
Grade: B-
Through Aug. 12. 2:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 8) and Saturday (Aug. 11). $10-$30. Theatrical Outfit (the Balzer Theater at Herren's), 84 Luckie St., Atlanta. 1-877-725-8849. theatricaloutfit.org.
Bottom line: Elementary storytelling but theatrically lackluster.
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