‘All the World’s a Stage’ Review: A Quiet Lesson in Acceptance
A closeted teacher and a questioning student find common ground in Signature Theatre’s tender new musical.
Some culture wars that might seem won in the U.S. are still raging in certain pockets of the nation. Less than fifty miles outside any major city where members of the LGBTQ community feel free to live out loud, a closeted gay teacher might find himself on the front lines battling to be his mild-mannered self.
Small-town high school math teacher Ricky Alleman (Kyle Sherman) is thrust into just such a battle in Adam Gwon’s poignant musical drama All the World’s a Stage.
A chamber piece for a four-person ensemble and a five-piece orchestra, the show fits tidily into Signature’s intimate Ark Theatre, where Matthew Gardiner’s staging captures the close, quiet tension pulsing through the story.
Occasionally that tension is of the sweet, romantic kind, with Ricky maybe finding love in his new hometown, a rural burg in northeastern Pennsylvania. But much of the show’s suspense and apprehension comes from Ricky living a lie of omission by not revealing to anyone in town that he’s gay, not even to new friends like cheery school secretary Dede (Erin Driscoll).
Of course, his sexuality shouldn’t matter at school. In other words, he could be out and it shouldn’t be an issue. But this story is set in 1996, and in this town, Ricky anticipates it’s better not to cause any unnecessary stir.
But that’s exactly what happens when he steps in to help a student, Sam (Deema Turkomani), prepare a monologue for a drama competition that’s awarding a full-ride college scholarship.
That edge of tension even subtly underlies joyful moments, as Sam and Ricky — Mr. Alleman to his students — first develop a rapport as student and teacher who both understand how it feels to not quite fit in at this school, or in this town. Unlike Mr. Alleman, Sam can’t conceal that they’re different, in a way that the 17-year-old finds painfully confusing.
To the audience, it won’t be confusing, or surprising that Sam just might be queer. Ricky, a perceptive educator, has to convey that understanding without voicing it directly to Sam, or for the audience’s benefit, and, to Sherman’s credit, his performance communicates volumes that go unspoken.
He also sings his heart out, conveying Gwon’s earnest music and lyrics in a warm, clarion tenor. The sweet, strings-heavy score is flush with fetching melodies, if not any runaway showstoppers.
Perhaps the number coming closest is “I’m Your Man,” sung by Callum Francis as Michael, the bookstore owner who turns Ricky’s head. It’s a big, bodacious song for a show filled with more quietly pleasing pieces, and Francis actually leaves room to go bigger.
Bigger might be better in other departments, too. In general, Michael and Ricky could stand to produce a more passionate longing. Their momentous first kiss feels more forced than heated. And one might expect their physical interactions to be informed by, or suggest something about, their past relationships, but that history isn’t visible.
There’s no dearth of passion, however, in Turkomani’s performance as Sam, whose discovery of Ricky and Michael’s relationship sparks a surprising response from the teen. Handed one of the show’s strongest solo numbers, “Other Lives,” in which Sam sings about their kook of a mom, Turkomani doesn’t show the vocal prowess to truly scale the song’s heights, but the feelings are unmistakable — as is Sam’s adolescent confusion.
Although, it’s Sam’s streak of adolescent rebellion that gets them, and Ricky and Michael, into trouble with practically everyone in town, including Dede.
Driscoll brightens the whole show, relaying Dede’s perspective as a good, Christian woman who cares about the kids at the school and has very strong ideas about what constitutes a proper environment for them. Dede could easily slip into caricature, but Driscoll gives her dimension, while also singing beautifully and adding depth to Ricky’s story.
He’s kept parts of himself hidden from her. Michael calls it cowardice. Ricky calls it being careful. Ultimately, we see Ricky isn’t wrong to assume that not everyone in this town will accept him for who he is — but should that stop him from living as freely as anyone else? The show answers the question eloquently, and with a powerful lesson from teacher to student.
★★★☆☆
All the World’s a Stage runs through Dec. 20 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., in Arlington, Va., with Pride Night performances Nov. 13 and 20, and Discussion Night performances Nov. 17 and Dec. 2. Tickets are $47 to $141. Call 703-820-9771, or visit sigtheatre.org.
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