‘Tollbooth’ banishes the Doldrums
By Terry Byrne | Globe Correspondent
October 25, 2011
(from the Boston Globe)
AndrewOberstein as the Whether Man (left) and Jeffrey Sewell as Milo in Wheelock Family Theatre’s ‘‘The
Phantom Tollbooth.’’
The charm of Norton Juster’s book “The Phantom Tollbooth’’ lies in the author’s
ability to take abstract concepts and attach them to arresting visual images,
making them enormously accessible and entertaining to both children and
adults. The musical adaptation captures the same delightful tone, and the
production now playing at the Wheelock Family Theatre gathers a terrific
ensemble to bring to life the Watch Dog, the Whether Man, the Demon of
Insincerity, and all the other colorful denizens of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis.
The story follows Milo (Jeffrey Sewell), a young boy who is bored by everything
until a tollbooth appears in his room and invites him on an adventure to the
Lands Beyond. Once there, he meets Tock the Watch Dog (Michael Wood),
complete with a clock emblazoned on his chest. Tock serves as Milo’s guide and
ally on his quest to bring the princesses of Rhyme and Reason back from
banishment and reunite the kingdoms of words and numbers. Sewell and Wood
make a wonderful pair, with each delivering sincere performances that never
become mannered. Sewell has a powerful singing voice, and Wood suggests
doggishness without overdoing it.
The songs, by Arnold Black, are melodic and engaging, but it’s the lyrics by
Sheldon Harnick (“Fiddler on the Roof,’’ “She Loves Me’’) that celebrate the
wordplay in Juster’s story. Dictionopolis includes a marketplace where the
residents sing “At the Market,’’ about the words they have for sale, and
Harnick’s lyrics lightly rhyme “all sorts of words for geniuses and nerds.’’ Later,
the importance of numbers is enumerated in “Hail, Digitopolis,’’ which includes
the line, “How can you have dinner at eight without the eight, you’ll never know
if guests are early or late.’’
Although Milo and Tock run the risk of getting lost in the Doldrums or
overwhelmed by the Mountains of Ignorance, the real danger lies in being lazy or
not thinking carefully. (At one point, a character says that “just because you have
choices doesn’t mean any of them have to be right.’’) The Demons in this land
prey upon Milo’s willingness to be misled; Robert Saoud, as an especially
charming trickster Midget-Giant, giggles mischievously, not maliciously, as he
sends Milo and Tock in circles.
Director Jane Staab takes the action into the aisles to allow for scene changes,
but keeps the story moving at a swift pace. Most important, she has cast an
ensemble of first-rate performers, including De’Lon Grant and Brian Richard
Robinson as the sparring leaders of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis, Aimee K.
Doherty in the small but standout role of the Demon of Insincerity, and Ceit
Zweil as the Narrator who holds the adventure together.
Musical director Robert L. Rucinski leads his seven-piece orchestra comfortably
and crisply through its paces. Unlike most musical theater pit bands, this one
includes oboe, bassoon, and clarinet in addition to flute, keyboard, horn, and
percussion. The woodwinds give the music a rich, reedy tone.
“The Phantom Tollbooth’’ is such a joy to see and hear that the moral embedded
in the tale - learning can be an exciting adventure - goes down easily.