Finding Hope: The Jack of Hearts Club at the Provincetown Theater

It’s 11:30pm on August 31^st, 1963. The last minutes of the last day of the season in a gay bar in Provincetown. And at first, it doesn’t seem all that different from any bar in Provincetown at any time; it’s only as the evening unfolds that we’re reminded of the differences between that time and ours—and can perhaps find some hope in remembering that, sometimes, things change for the good.

The people assembled to ring out the season know each other well… and in some ways, the audience knows them too. There’s the owner of the establishment, Dorothy (Mary Callanan), brisk and hearty and opinionated, relieved that the season is finally over. Dorothy’s daughter Elizabeth (Brittany Rolfs) works behind the bar, where her girlfriend, Maggie (Marissa Miller), sits and tries to chat. Queena (James Jackson, Jr.), a magnificent  and oh-so-fabulous singer, and his sidekick, Sebastian (João Santos), are preparing the acts for this last performance. And regulars Arthur and Timmy (Angelo McDonough and Peter Toto) are saying their good-byes before resuming real life in the real world outside the haven of Provincetown.

In the center of it all is Sonny (Jon Richardson), the “piano guy,” waiflike, gentle, and  sensitive—and an exceptional musician: as those around him call for one song or another, he complies with enthusiasm. Between songs, he confides in the bartender, Charlie (Mike Sullivan), who clearly has more than a crush on him, about his upcoming move across the country to live with his boyfriend Clive (Christopher Spaulding); he’s both nervous and excited about opening a new chapter.

He’s not the only one contemplating a move. Maggie gives Elizabeth thoughtful end-of-season gifts, which include a set of keys to her New York apartment and an invitation to come and live there. As Elizabeth contemplates what leaving Provincetown and her mother might mean, the bar is alive with gossipy speculation about her final decision.

We’re reminded that 1963 was not a great time to be gay: Arthur and Timmy are painfully dealing with only being together for one month out of the year, and Dorothy worries about Elizabeth needing to live a life “in the shadows” should she choose to leave Provincetown.

But the show must go on, and Queena and Sebastian are keeping things moving, on and off the stage. Queena is everything the name implies; the surprise was Sebastian, who shows himself to be much more than a sidekick—he is absolutely delightful in so many ways that I won’t ruin by enumerating them.

The stories all resolve—in different ways—and when Clive reveals his real intention of leaving sans Sonny, the bar coalesces around the piano player to comfort him in his confusion and despair. Their empathy is reflected by the audience—Clive’s solo is the only song in the repertoire that doesn’t receive applause; no-one wanted to see Sonny hurt.

This production is the closest to perfection I’ve ever seen, not only in Provincetown, but anywhere. Richardson in a true tour de force wrote both the script and the songs, and his work is sheer genius. (Not to mention his performance—his solo got a standing ovation in the midst of the show.) Excellent casting has always been a hallmark of the Provincetown Theater; director Leda Hoffmann continues that tradition, and the choreography by Jeffrey Gugliotti and musical direction/arrangements by Nevada Lozano are top-notch.

There is so much here to enjoy. The songs themselves are wonderful, and everyone delivers them with exceptional talent. And so many of the lines are laugh-out-loud funny. Just one of many examples: when Maggie encourages Elizabeth to find the courage to leave, she points out the boats they can see in the harbor, and goes into the cliché about them being built not to be at anchor but out in the open sea, Elizabeth sighs. “Those are houseboats, babe,” she says.

At first glimpse, Shannon Robert’s rustic interior feels very Ptown—it could well have been the downstairs bar at The Moors or the old Rooster Bar at the Crown & Anchor—but it also could be anywhere in any summer resort town. And just as the townie audience “got” many of the Ptown allusions that others may not, the universality and accessibility of the scenarios experienced by the characters isn’t confined to one location or culture. I would be extremely surprised if this musical didn’t find huge success in New York City and beyond.

It certainly deserves it.

review: Jeannette de Beauvoir

photos: Bob Tucker/Focalpoint