(Eric Graise, Ashlyn Maddox and the cast of Goodspeed’s The Snow Goose. Photo by Diane Sobolewski)

by Tim Leininger

EAST HADDAM — A privilege of being a critic in Connecticut is the sheer amount of original material that gets produced here on an annual basis. None of it ever starts perfect, which is to be expected. But some definitely come out making you feel a sense that you’ve seen something special ahead of everyone else in the world. Such is the case with Goodspeed Musicals’ The Snow Goose, a new musical based on the novella by Paul Gallico, by Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie, directed by Marshall Pailet, and choreographed by Misha Shields, running through Oct. 18 at the Goodspeed Opera House at 6 Main St.

            The Snow Goose is a simple story, and one that follows themes that are similar to many others. The musical starts in 1933, with the story culminating seven years later with the evacuation of Dunkirk during World War II, where fishermen and other civilian boat captains rescued 338,000 Allied soldiers from the Nazis who pressed them to the shores of France. Set primarily in the fictional Wickeldroth, a small hamlet in Essex, England, the community depends on its fowl hunting and fishing to get it through the year. One day, four young teens go out to the marsh to stir up the fowl for hunters when one of them, Frith (Ashlyn Maddox) stumbles upon an injured snow goose. In attempting to rescue the goose, she meets Phillip (Eric Graise) a handicapped man who lives in a defunct lighthouse. The novella has Phillip being a hunchback and a disfigured hand. Graise, on the other hand, doesn’t have legs from about mid-thigh down. It really doesn’t matter what the abnormality is, the story’s message doesn’t change, and when it comes to casting for Goodspeed or any other theater who wishes to produce the show, they can cast anyone with a disability as long as they can sing and act the part, which is the wiser way to go.

(Leah Hofmann and Eric Graise in Goodspeed’s The Snow Goose. Photo by Diane Soboelwski)

            Philip lives a reclusive life, and because of his isolation, he has become an enigma to the nearby people of Wickeldroth, a legend of monstrous proportions. An uneasy bond starts to form between Frith and Philip as the two help the goose, now named Princess, mend its injured wing, keeping their budding friendship a secret, fearing repercussions of the community’s bigotry toward Philip if anyone found out.

Aside from some salty language from the villagers, The Snow Goose plays much like fiction written for tweens. There is a love interest for Frith with Wilf (Charles Webb), a cocksure young lad whose jealousy and paranoia grows when Frith starts disappearing to spend time with Princess and Philip. Frith is also an orphan living with her cousin, Harper (Ally Bonino), who is overly protective to the point of being smothering and abrasive.

(Eric Graise, Leah Hofmann, Ashlyn Maddox and the cast of Goodspeed’s The Snow Goose. Photo by Diane Sobolewski)

The story is derivative, but the thematic elements of the story as told by Gilmour and McKenzie make the story engaging, plus their music soars like the bird the musical centers around. As for the bird itself, beautifully designed by Nicholas Mahon, it is mostly represented as a three-piece puppet lead by Leah Hofmann, who handles the body and head, while others handle the wings. Hofmann provides the voice of the goose as well, and her work with her team is superb. Princess is teeming with personality, character, and emotion, all meticulously conveyed by the puppet team.

Maddox and Graise are great together, especially with Princess on stage. Maddox plays Frith with a naivete that others would understandably be concerned with, but she balances it with a precocious, curious spirit that is the source of her strength and willingness to not be afraid of another human being regardless of how they look. Graise internalizes much of Philip’s emotions, which keeps a sort of cap on how much he can evoke emotionally through much of the show. He does get a couple spots in the show where he can let his feelings out without filter, and they are satisfying to witness.

(The cast of Goodspeed’s The Snow Goose. Photo by Diane Sobolewski)

Much of the musical’s story is contained within scenes between two to four characters, and it appears that either Gilmour and McKenzie or Pailet decided to throw the ensemble into the show at odd points for the sake of giving them something to do, even if it is holding marsh grass in their hands and creating a circle around Frith, or injecting them into a scene to throw leaves or snow or flower petals up in the air to denote a change of season. It’s all superfluous, not needing to be there.

There are some supporting characters that I’d like to have seen developed more. Sam Sherwood plays The Bard, who secretly has a more important role than what we initially are given. I would have liked him to be more present in the show. He kicks the show off, and pops up briefly here and there. Considering the story is supposed to be told by him, I would have liked to have more of a presence from him.

(Ally Bonino in Goodspeed’s The Snow Goose. Photo by Diane Soboelwski)

The character of Harper could have been given more motivation as well. Bonino gets a song in act two, “The World Don’t Want to Know,” that helps explain who she is, but the song comes a bit late. If it was earlier, or if there were more dialogue or a duet between Harper and Frith in the first act, it would have gone a long way in helping better empathize with Harper’s position. Instead, through most of the musical we get a mostly one-dimensional character with simple prejudicial tropes.

Emmie Finckel’s scenic design and Mallory Kay Nelson’s costume design has a simple rustic quality to it that makes the town of Wickeldroth and the surrounding marsh area feel textured and alive. Aja M. Jackson’s lighting design and Jay Hilton’s sound design stay subtly in the background most of the show until the Dunkirk sequence starts, and the two get the opportunity to step forward and take the lead in the atmospheric storytelling. It’s balanced and helps elevate Wilf’s song “Another Dawn” in act two, as Wilf is one of the soldiers trapped on the French shoreline.

(Charlie Webb and the cast of Goodspeed’s The Snow Goose. Photo by Diane Soboelwski)

The Snow Goose has a lot going for it. The design is great, the score is sweeping, the cast is solid, and it is lead by a goose that is as real as anyone else in the cast. The story is oversimple at times. I would like to have some of the antagonistic motivations of the villagers toward Philip to be a bit more developed, and Harper’s motivations fleshed out. Still, The Snow Goose is a sensitive look at prejudice, specifically against differently abled people, and provides an inspirational message.

TICKETS: https://www.goodspeed.org/

PRODUCTION

Written and Composed by Scott Gilmour & Claire McKenzie; Based on the novella by Paul Gallico; Directed by Marshall Pailet; Choreographed by Misha Shields; Music Direction by Adam Souza; Scenic Design by Emmie Finckel; Costume Design by Mallory Kay Nelson; Lighting Design by Aja M. Jackson; Sound Design by jay Hilton; Wig, Hair & Makeup Design by J. Jared Janas & Cassie J. Williams; Puppet Design by Nicholas Mahon; Orchestrations by Claire McKenzie; Associate Director: Emily Reutlinger; Associate Music Director: Wes Dzedzic; Casting by Geoff Josselson Casting; Dialect Coach: Julie Foh; Access Consultant: Talleri A. McRae; Production Stage Manager: Chris Zaccardi; Production Manager: Dominick J. Pinto; Associate Artistic Director: Michael Fling; General Manager: Gretchen Wright

CAST (in order of appearance)

Sam Sherwood as The Bard

Charlie Webb as Wilf

Ayanna Nicole Thomas as Clara

Ashlyn Maddox as Frith

Gabriel Marcus Omlor

Eric Graise as Philip

Amy Hillner Larsen as Ms. Rumsey

Ally Bonino as Harper

David Aron Damane as Garrick

Ensemble: Alan Chandler, David Aron Damane, Matthew Davies, Leah Hofmann, Kiersten Kelly, Amy Hillner Larsen, Sophia Anna O’Brien, Gabriel Marcus Omlor, Ayanna Nicole Thomas, Patrick Tombs, John Viggiano