Published on: Wednesday, April 15, 2009

By David Cannon, Sentinel Arts Critic

I am sure the Landless Theater Company did not plan it this way a year ago, but the group’s current effort “Walmartopia” is a perfect antidote to current headlines. It begins as a contemporary satire and then takes off on a wacky science fiction trip that has heart and plenty of laughter mixed in.

Now I have been in a Wal-Mart only a few times, so I really have no feelings about the store one way or the other. The corporate chain certainly has its share of avid fans and rabid detractors. The nice thing about “Walmartopia” is that it is so cartoonish in portraying the retail giant that both lovers and haters of the company can enjoy this pop musical.

While it performs at the DC Arts Center (DCAC) in Adams Morgan, Landless consists of quite a few area residents. Director Melissa Baughman keeps the musical humming along briskly, retaining some clearly human emotions along with the increasingly madcap plot developments.

Hard working mother Vicki and her more impetuous daughter Maia both work long hours at Wal-Mart hoping for a promotion. After being passed over more than once, they take a stand against their corporate bosses.  That’s when things get a little loopy as the ladies are sent through a time machine 30 years into the future, where Wal-Mart has taken over the world, except for Vermont. 

With Robin Rouse as Vicki and Brittany Williams as Maia, meet the heart and soul of this show. Both actresses have fine voices, but even better they convince the audience of that mother-daughter bond that is so crucial to this tale. We can laugh at Doctor Normal’s incredibly fake wig and campy time portal device, but we need to believe that Vicki and Maia are family for the story to work. With that relationship in place, we can handle the crazier aspects of the show – such as that strange theater director in the future and a guest appearance of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton’s disembodied head.

The rest of the cast gamely tackles this madcap piece with aplomb, whether it is the inept Board of Directors or the robotic Wal-Mart citizens of the future. Highlights include Andrew Baughman’s cartoon villain Scooter Smiley, Ernie Achenbach’s hilarious Dr. Normal, and Jason Wilson’s unionizing Miguel.

Most of this piece is sung with little dialogue, so the musical direction of Charles Johnson is very important. The music is mostly pop rock but it is lively and tuneful and the cast puts it over quite well. 

I love the intimate space at DCAC but this is a show that could have used more room to spread out. The five member band along one wall and the decent sized cast occasionally looked cramped up there. It would also have been handy if the playbill included a list of songs, even though the musical is almost continuously sung.

So love Wal-Mart as the ultimate American success story or hate it as the prime example of corporate greed, there is still plenty to enjoy in this slapstick musical.  As one character gamely notes, “learn to think outside the big box.” 

“Walmartopia” continues at Landless Theater Company at the DC Arts Center through April 29. For more information, call (202) 462-7833 or visit www.landlesstheatrecompany.org.

Rating: 3 Stars