By SHARON EBERSON
I thought I had every possible iteration of The Hobbit seared in my brain. Now I have to make room for another: Pittsburgh Public Theater’s mashup of clever staging, puppetry and nimble performances that bring the creature-filled journey to life.
(Image: Maranie R. Staab)
The J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy novel that sparked The Lord of the Rings trilogy is packed with harrowing adventure and creatures great and small, and the adaptation by Greg Banks is faithful in many ways to the source material, while leaving plenty of room for interpretation.
Seven actors, often doubling as puppeteers, are tasked with conveying the likes of Dwarves, Wood Elves, a Wizard and a Hobbit, along with the nasty, blood-thirsty ogres, goblins, wargs and the fire-breathing dragon Smaug.
The production directed by Marya Sea Kaminski, the Public’s artistic director, invites the audience into the story with a group of good friends gathering for what appears to be a role-playing game. Stately Shammen McCune, who is the leader of this merry band, easily transforms into the leader of serene confidence and grace, Gandalf.
Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit whose “There and Back Again” tale is about to unfold, first presents as a loner, who prefers his privacy and a neighborly cup of tea. Russell Saylor, making his Public debut, proceeds to carry the weight of narrator, central figure and ring-bearer (IYKYK) like a born denizen of Hobbiton, even without big, hairy Hobbit feet.
Bilbo is cajoled into being the burglar who will help Thorin Oakenshield (Ryan Patrick Kearney) restore his Dwarf kingdom and immense wealth, stolen and guarded by the dragon Smaug. Their company on the quest includes Dwarves Balin (Amy B. Marsalis), Kili (Maya B. Fullard), Fili (Britt Dorazio) and Bombar (Jose Perez IV) and folks in the first-row seats – have no fear, the latter is in name only.
All except Saylor multitask along their journey. The first encounter with the production’s puppetry, under the direction of co-puppet designer Matt Acheson, is in the form of three towering, ditzy ogres, who can’t decide whether their captors should be boiled or roasted.
The ogre puppets unfold seemingly out of nowhere – their appearance startling and a delight, if you know the outcome in advance.
There were many pre-tween children in the audience, and I wondered how many arrived knowing the story of The Hobbit, by book, animation or live-action films, because it has moments as dark as any Grimm fairy tale.
(Image: Maranie R. Staab)
Bilbo’s discovery of a ring that allows him to disappear and the ensuing encounter with the creature Gollum – foreshadowing the trilogy to come, if you know the story – is justifiably creepy and well-played.
The puppetry and other practical effects are more front-and-center in the first half of the play. These include Tolkien’s problematic timing of the Eagles (not to give too much away, for those who don’t know the story), whose flight is nonetheless cleverly rendered.
Stagecraft, lighting and well-placed smoke on the set by Jennifer Zeyl help propel the action in the second act, as the journey becomes ever more clouded by friend and foe alike.
McCune’s calm presence is missed when Gandalf is absent during long stretches, while, true to the character, Kearney’s Thorin becomes increasingly overbearing.
In case you are anticipating the battle scene – Peter Jackson divided The Hobbit into two films; the second titled The Battle of the Five Armies – it’s a doozy. Perez’s work as fight and stunt coordinator takes centerstage here, after an unexpectedly royal role earlier on.
Gender-reversal roles include Dorazio’s brave Bard, the dragonslayer.
All the while, Bilbo is growing from the contented couch potato, questioning why he agreed to come along, to the integral team player, never shirking his burglar duties and often as not, saving the day.
At two hours and 10 minutes with an intermission, and with an 8 p.m. start on opening night, The Hobbit attracted parents with children, who could be heard in the chorus of ooohs and aaahs when puppets appeared on the stage, or seen huddling close to adults during darker moments.
This live spectacle of a classic fairy tale, with a captivating combo of puppets and stage artistry – a sort of Peter and the Starcatcher meets Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – is well-timed for Halloween, and for family togetherness.
NOTES
Jamie Agnello (Mother in the Public’s annual A Christmas Story) missed opening night with an undisclosed injury, and with no word if she will appear in The Hobbit. She was replaced as Balin and other roles by understudy Amy B. Marsalis, credited as a Pittsburgh-based actor, producer and teaching artist, who is one of the inaugural members of the company’s Core Company. … For fellow geeks: You may have noticed that Pittsburgh Public Theater has chosen The Hobbit as a theme for its 50th season, with the tagline, “One season to rule them all.” However, the phrase “One ring to rule them all” does not appear until The Lord of the Rings’ Fellowship of the Ring, in case you were wondering.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of The Hobbit is at the O’Reilly Theater, Downtown, through November 10, 2024. For tickets: Visit https://ppt.org/production/94335/the-hobbit or call 412-316-1600.
So a non-union performer will be playing a lead role for the entire run without having been in rehearsal. This core company is a really bad idea. What happened to the standards at PPT? This theater is going downhill so fast.