Developed from scratch (as always) by the six brilliantly creative Buntporters and collaborator Adam Stone, Sweet Tooth is the story of a woman, George (“because that is what she should be called”), and her two companions, or more aptly “enablers.” George is obsessed with the artistic and aesthetic. Because the real world can never live up to her standards of beauty and art, she has isolated herself in her home, with her maid Hortense and her “Mister” to immerse her in “experienceless experiences” which emulate reality, but with complete artistic control. This strange existence would continue unabated if not for the reality of a painful abscessed tooth, which becomes so severe that a dentist is brought in, abruptly bringing the real world with him. The results of this clash are unexpected, and the second act brings a resolution and an unsettling integrity to George’s life.How do they do it? Sweet Tooth, Buntport Theater’s latest original creation, is a fully developed two-act musical that builds an absurd world that seems reasonable, and then injects reality into that world, with unexpected results. There is the usual Buntport humor, but it is not as dominant as in past productions, and is imbued with thoughtful and challenging content. The music is fully integrated into the production, with some more traditionally structured songs, and other sections of sung dialogue, adding another dimension to the performance throughout. I was moved, intrigued, entertained, fascinated, and fully engaged throughout this amazing production.
Normally in a review, I summarize the premise of the story, then talk about the director, cover the acting, and then the design. Buntport completely messes that up. Everything is integrated into a whole, and there are never lines between the different aspects of the production. That said, the elements normally attributed to the director were well coordinated and fit perfectly with the story. The formal staging and blocking throughout reinforced the aesthetic focus of George’s world. The choreography carried that even further. The attention to detail and internal consistency throughout was remarkable — much of it in the background, not clearly noticeable, but always there.
Erin Rollman is George, “smitten by unreality.” The story and show revolve around her. Rollman brings complete credibility to this absurd role. We watch her, and her actions and reactions make this strange situation believable. She can emotionally turn on a dime, and she uses her very expressive face wonderfully. Hannah Duggan is Hortense, George’s devoted maid, and the enabler of the staged experiences. When the level of that devotion is raised in the second act, Duggan makes the unbelievable seem almost natural. Brian Colonna is Mister, George’s lover, companion, and personal artist. His character is less completely drawn into George’s world, and has real world concerns because of his love for her. Erik Edborg brings the real world into the sanctuary as Dr. Manette, the dentist called in for a house call. Edborg initially presents a start contrast and reminds us how strange George’s world that we had become used to really is. But then like us, he is drawn into it, but as we watch him change, we realize that the stakes were higher than we thought.
Buntport develops the sets and costumes in the same way they do everything, and this show highlights the benefits of that approach. The show opens with flowing white drapes indicating a vast expanse of cold and snow, but they are then ripped down to reveal an oddly proportioned very red room, which impeccably captures how a room in George’s home would look, unnatural though it is. The caving scene is an example of the unique yet brilliant effects of Buntport’s collaborative design approach — it was remarkable. As an experienced lighting designer, it is difficult for me to admit this, but no traditional lighting designer could have conceived anything as unique and effective as the lighting for this scene.
The Buntport actors are not professionally trained singers, and musically, they are not pitch-perfect all the time, but that is not a problem. They have added vocal amplification while singing, which really helps balance the voices and music, and makes it easier to understand the lyrics, which is important for following the story. Rollman’s singing voice is very good, and the others do not try to do more than they can, keeping the music consistent. Adam Stone’s music has variety and is integrated well into both the plot and the overall production concept.
It continues to amaze me that Buntport Theater can consistently create fully developed productions from nothing in a few months. Sweet Tooth is the latest proof of this, but even more so. This musical is brilliant, funny, challenging, and unsettling.
-Craig Williamson, October 31, 2012, North Denver Tribune