Review: BOB & JEAN: A LOVE STORY at Arizona Theatre Company
This story of love set during World War II is optimistic, charming, and full of hope.
By Zach Wetzel. Originally published on BroadwayWorld.com.
Bob & Jean: A Love Story at Arizona Theatre Company is beautiful. Directed by Matt August, the play is about a distant romance set during World War II. The play is written by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning and Emmy-nominated playwright Robert Schenkkan. The two leads communicate via letters as Bob works as a bomb disposal officer in the Pacific and Jean works in theatre as a USO actress and beyond. Their relationship is tested throughout the two-hour runtime and brought to life by the next generation, their descendant who is the Narrator. There is so much to love about this play. It is heartwarming, optimistic, and full of hope.
Jake Bentley Young plays the role of Bob and Mary Mattison is Jean. The Narrator is portrayed by Scott Wentworth. Although Bob & Jean: A Love Story has a small cast, the story of the play is big. The pair of lovers moves through various iconic events in history and learns to live in a turbulent time with love. Young is endearing as Bob and has a boyish charm that easily won over our audience. Mattison is graceful and poised as Jean, while also humorous during her monologue in the Second Act. Her transitions between multiple characters were seamless, and the complimentary lighting was impressive!
Scott Wentworth breaks the fourth wall as our omniscient and omnipresent Narrator. He is very funny and uses modern cultural references to bridge the generational gap from the present moment back to the story being told in the 1940’s and beyond. Wentworth is charming and complex. He is instantly likeable and allows the audience to experience the story through his eyes. A story like Bob & Jean: A Love Story may seem best-suited for a small stage, but all three actors bring characterizations that are larger than life and justify the large stage. This is a big story, while at the same time being intimate and personal.
Bob & Jean: A Love Story encompasses many major historical events, with the arrival of the atomic bomb being the most prominent. Young brings real dread and trepidation to a monologue about the atomic bomb, surrounded by blinding lights. You can hear the fear in his voice and it is convincing. This monologue contrasts sharply with the youthful optimism of the play, but it is necessary. Ultimately the show is about love in the face of war. Framing the Second Act with a cautionary moment about the consequences of war makes perfect sense.
The writing is delicious and exquisite. Matt August has worked real magic onstage by taking a deeply personal story and justifying its large-scale staging. Stephen Gifford’s scenic design was the first thing I noticed upon entering the theater. An enormous backdrop of letter manuscripts fills the stage, and as each character reads the words, a single letter is illuminated. I was particularly impressed at how convincing the characters’ communication was even when they weren’t speaking directly to each other. It felt genuine.
Costumes by Kish Finnegan were spectacular here and Mike Billing’s lighting design cast a spell over the audience. Sound and original music by John Gromada were pleasing to the ear and of high quality. The performance, in all its elements both theatrical and technical, captured my attention.