BY JOHN BONAZZO
Calvin’s mother (Shannon Morrall) gives Calvin (Devin Chowske) a stuffed tiger that he names Hobbes in FET’s new show, “The Adventures of Calvin and Hobbes.” (ANDREW ESOLDI / THE RAM)
No comic strip expressed the pure joy and wonder of being a kid better than Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes. In his theatrical adaptation, Mike Dahlgren, along with his Fordham Experimental Theater (FET) cast, keeps the spirit of the original while imbuing it with wonderful new life.
Calvin is an imaginative six-year-old who would rather go on imaginary adventures as “Spaceman Spiff” than go to school. To give him a creative outlet, his parents buy him a stuffed tiger that he names Hobbes. This plush creature springs to life in Calvin’s room, and the two become fast friends thanks to their shared love of play. When Calvin’s parents put him on medication to help him focus, however, the medication jeopardizes his relationship with Hobbes.
Dahlgren has included many of the best elements of the comic in his adaptation, including Calvin’s poems and his monstrous view of authority figures. He has also, however, brought the strip into the 21st century by adding the medication plot and some up-to-date cultural references, which retain Watterson’s original style and so work perfectly in the context of the show.
Because this show is written from the perspective of a young child, there are some frenetic sequences with audience participation, which make Dahlgren’s achievements as director even more impressive. He never lets these scenes overwhelm or take the focus off the quieter moments. The colorful, comic strip-style set is likewise flashy (particularly Calvin’s bedroom), but still never distracts from the action onstage.
This is the first FET show of the year with live music, thanks to Bright Red Cardinal. The campus folk group plays their original music throughout the show, in the background of scenes and during scene changes, and their energy, like that of young Calvin, is infectious. They are certainly a crowd-pleaser.
Devin Chowske is wonderfully energetic as Calvin. He is a frenetic ball of energy, and bounces off the walls with indefatigable excitement. Even more impressive, he makes the audience miss this side of his character during the scenes where Calvin is mellow and medicated. Thankfully, he gets to play as his old self again for the finale. Dave Portmore is a terrific foil as Hobbes, joining Calvin in play in the early going with joyful exuberance and then showing the pain of rejection in the second act (particularly in an open letter that he reads aloud).
The supporting cast is equally impressive. As Calvin’s mom, Shannon Morrall is relentlessly cheery until the second act, when an experiment with his medicine goes awry and she wonderfully flexes some other acting muscles. Justin Clark is alternately warm and strict as Calvin’s dad (he also gets one of the best lines when he catches Calvin playing jazz records at midnight). Pam Zazzarino, as Calvin’s know-it-all classmate, is especially funny when she plays a role in one of his fantasies (the same goes for Marisa Schmidt as his teacher). Ryan Creamer only has two scenes as the school principal, but he milks these for all they’re worth, getting big laughs with his dry delivery.
FET’s Calvin and Hobbes will make you feel like a kid again. Whether or not you’ve read the comic, head to the Blackbox this weekend; you’re bound to have a good time.
