Carl Sagan's 1985 novel, Contact, tells the story of Ellie Arroway, a young scientist who has devoted herself to searching for signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life. When her SETI research team receives a communication from the star Vega, a chain of events is spurred that forever changes her life in ways she never could have imagined. The story encompasses Ellie's internal struggles relating both to what is "out there" and what is "in here," and juxtaposes religion and science in the universal search for the answers to those questions. Most are familiar with the 1997 film version of the story starring Jodie Foster; however, the musical is based on the novel rather than the film.
Centerstage's production is an admirably ambitious undertaking and for the most part, imaginative and well-executed. The music, visuals, choreography, and lighting are very complex for a production in a theatre of its size (seating approximately 200 people). The acting and vocals were consistent and high quality, with standout performances by Eric Hartley as the eccentric Hadden, Caitlin Frances as Ellie, and Matthew Posner as the Rev. Palmer Joss. And although her part was relatively small, Dana Johnson was particularly entertaining in her portrayal of President Taylor.
Nevertheless, while the cast and production team did a stellar job with the material they had, the script could use some tweaking. Contact is a complex story that requires a bit of adaptation for the stage, especially as a musical, so as to avoid confusion and keep the story flowing. Here, transitions were sometimes abrupt, resulting in an inconsistent feel. For example, "They Can't Touch Me," featuring a wheelchair-bound Hadden and a team of sexy nurses cavorting around the stage, was a very entertaining number. However, it seemed out of sorts with the material that came before and after. And after intermission the story lost its momentum, beginning with the opening number "Where Was I That Day" featuring Ellie's mother in a nostalgic moment. In this reviewer's opinion, that number could have been left out with no harm done to the story. There were also some sound issues, such as the music sometimes drowning out the vocalists and some disturbing "booms" as active mikes were plugged into the sound system. No doubt these challenges will be dealt with in future productions.
Contact runs through October 18. All shows are performed at the Knutzen Family Theatre and are general admission. There are 3 performances a week on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm plus a Sunday matinee at 2:00 pm. For more information call the Knutzen Family Theatre ticket office at (253) 661-1444, or go to www.centerstagetheatre.com.
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