Astoria Performing Arts Center’s revival of The Human Comedy, set in the fictional small town of Ithaca, California, during World War II, tells the story of the tight-knit Macauley family, their friends and neighbors. This musical, originally on Broadway in 1984, is adapted from William Saroyan’s 1943 novel of the same name, which recounts his childhood years growing up in California with a widowed mother.
From beginning to end, the show has the look and feel of a Norman Rockwell painting as it celebrates everyday life with nostalgia and optimism. The importance of home and community are woven throughout this coming-of-age tale. The action focuses on Homer Macauley (Aaron J. Libby), the 14-year-old boy who becomes a telegram messenger to help his mother, Kate (Victoria Bundonis), make ends meet while her oldest son, Marcus (Stephen Trafton), goes off to war, leaving her at home to raise her two younger sons and teenage daughter, Bess (Deidre Haren).
Under the skillful direction of Tom Wojtunik, the small but sprawling set, which includes a multilevel center stage, is used to maximum advantage, with the action spilling out the theater aisles. The 25-member ensemble is seated onstage for much of the time, serving as a chorus singing background vocals when not directly involved in the scene, and is
accompanied by a six-piece band, costumed in Army uniforms.
The Human Comedy is a musical in the truest sense of the word: the entire story is told through music — swing, pop, folk and gospel. The vocalists are top-notch performers without exception; notably strong are Victoria Bundonis, D. William Hughes as Tobey George, Marcus’s Army buddy, and Marcie Henderson in the ethereal role of Beautiful Music. But the show’s scene-stealer is child actor Anthony Pierini, who plays Ulysses, the youngest Macauley. A fine actor and singer, he is poised way beyond his years.
Tony Award-winning composer Galt MacDermot, perhaps best known for writing the music for Hair, created an operetta-like score in collaboration with librettist William Dumaresq. While the lives of the Macauleys and those close to them are touched by the inevitable tragedies and sadness of wartime, the unfolding of events through song keeps The Human Comedy from ever becoming too maudlin. Saroyan’s novel was intended to lift Americans’ spirits and this revival succeeds in doing precisely that.
The Human Comedy; Music by Galt MacDermot; Libretto by William Dumaresq; From the story by William Saroyan; Directed by Tom Wojtunik; Good Shepherd United Methodist Church; 30–44 Crescent Street, Astoria, NY; 1-866-811-4111
