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Paint Your Wagon
“Paint Your Wagon”
is a Thought-Provoking Nugget of Gold
by Pat Lindsey
Few people under the age of 65 have probably ever seen the musical, “Paint Your Wagon” starring Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin. Its original storyline in the movie was unsettling and quirky, but it had great Lerner & Loewe music. I loved that music so much that I bought the film soundtrack when I was in college. That makes me weird, I know, but I really loved it.
The new and improved “Paint Your Wagon” now playing at The Muny still has the music I loved, but with some new twists. It also has some songs that were not in the film. The story of the quest for wealth during the 1849 gold rush remains the same, but the rest of the show is a total rehab.
Gone is the story of two men sharing one wife. Instead, the main character, Ben Rumson, is a more gentile, thoughtful man who strives to live a lawful life while trying to make a living for his family. This revision gives the audience insight into the problems that were faced by the emigrants as they trudged across the plains to lands unknown. When the survivors finally reached California, they became a melting pot of cultures and beliefs.
The social issues they faced then were not unlike the social issues we face today. There was prejudice, gun violence, gambling, slavery, bullying, and abuse. There was also love and longing for families left behind and the desire to return to those families with a newly acquired fortune.
This tale begins in St. Louis, where Ben Rumson (Matt Bogart), Cayla Woodling (Mamie Parris), and others have stopped for provisions on their westward journey to California. Rumson’s wife, Elisa, has died and it was her dying wish for her husband to send their only daughter, Jennifer (Maya Keleher) to college. As Ben Rumson and the other emigrants head west, they camp with people of various nationalities and befriend some of them.
When Rumson sees a man named Jake (Preston Truman Boyd) abusing his wife, Cayla, he steps in to save her. There is no love between the couple, so Jake puts his wife up for auction and Rumson buys her with all the money he was going to use to bring his daughter out to California. Ben and Cayla build a good life for themselves and open an upscale tavern/gambling palace in an area they name Rumson City. When Ben’s daughter finally arrives in California, the plot thickens and new social issues arise. Jennifer falls in love with Ben’s friend, Armando (Omar Lopez-Cepero), and Ben gets upset because he knows that an inter-racial union will never be accepted there. One crisis after another occurs until Rumson City completely falls apart and waits to be rebuilt by the next wagon train.
It takes a seasoned performer to do justice to the most famous song in this show, “They Call the Wind Maria,” and Matt Bogart (Ben Rumson) does just that. His version of “Wand’rin’ Star” sets the tone for the westward journey. Bogart later sings a lovely duet with Mamie Parris (Cayla) entitled, “What Do Other Folk Do?” that sounds very much like Lerner & Loewe’s “What Do the Simple Folk Do?” from “Camelot.” Another beautiful song is, “I Talk to the Trees,” well done by tenor Omar Lopez-Cepero (Armando) and soprano Maya Kelener (Jennifer). All of the voices in “Paint Your Wagon” are 14-karat gold. And the men’s chorus gives the percussionists an opportunity to rise out of the orchestra pit with chest-pounding notes that we don’t hear in any of the other numbers.
Surprises abound in this production. A big surprise with a St. Louis connection emerges on stage in Act I. Strong choreography by Josh Rhodes and Lee Wilkins prevails throughout the show and is highlighted by one lively can-can in Act II. Scenery changes from St. Louis to Yosemite with the plains, mountains, and forests in between are now possible with The Muny’s new stage technology and an outstanding creative team. The miners are even able to use pick axes to dig a hole in a field of dirt, thanks to one of the new stage features.
“Paint Your Wagon” has all the elements of a good musical, but don’t expect to go skipping out of the theater at the end of the show. It will leave you facing some important realizations. “Paint Your Wagon” is playing at The Muny now through Aug. 2. For tickets, go to muny.org or call 314-534-1111.
