Brewer theater’s debut show strong and spunky

To begin with a bang is a good way to begin. And that’s a perfect description for Thursday’s opening-night performance of “The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd,” the first show at Theatre Productions Unlimited of Maine on Wilson Street in Brewer.

There was no particular fanfare for the arrival of this new kid on the theater block. In fact, only around 30 people showed up at the venue, which is small, dark, wonderfully funky and seats about 50. Even the stage is fairly blank.

But the Anthony Newley-Leslie Bricuss musical, directed by the theater’s president, Susan McGinley, came on strong and loud with talent and spunk.

Laden with symbolism and allegory, this musical isn’t the type of community show directors usually choose for amateur actors. About the machinations of power, “Greasepaint” can be quite hard-hitting in its social criticism even if it is rooted in vaudeville, mime and the English music hall styles. But McGinley has a certain directorial chutzpah that she combines with a good eye for setting scenes and a smart skill for tapping into actors’ individual skills. The result is a frisky evening of community theater.

In a nasty game of life played by Sir (who represents the establishment) and Cocky (who represents the downtrodden), McGinley shows the scathing humor and also the ugly underbelly of dirty power plays that kick men off ladders and drop elephants on fleas. Man’s singular lack of good taste is exposed here, but there’s also a lesson about having heart.

McGinley never comes on too strong with the punches, but she doesn’t sugarcoat the script, either. She trusts her actors and her audience, even when she knows the ideas are ruggedly cynical or grim. It’s true there aren’t many of us who need to be reminded that the distribution of power is unfair and that the oppressed have a harder lot than the powerful. But there’s a deeper moral running through this show, and it’s delivered with such bright-eyed enthusiasm and intelligent theatricality that you can’t help but be swept up in the game.

Set, costume and prop designs by McGinley, Gerald Button and Pat Button reveal a surreal world of motley urchins with ratty hair, tattered clothing, duct-taped shoes (that are mismatched) and lots of attitude. The urchins are played by a troupe of young people who give thoroughly and fearlessly to the audience.

They work impressively to support suave performances by the lithe, mean-spirited Nick Grant, as Sir, and the facile vigor of Ed Wiseman, as Cocky. Grant and Wiseman are sharp in these pithy roles, which are intensified by the close proximity of the audience to the actors. You’re right in the faces of these players, and when they smart, you smart with them.

Carly Combs, as Sir’s sidekick, and cameo roles by the elegant Jessica Chaples, the soulful Pam Martin and the beefy Christopher Roberts add tiny sparks of fire throughout the show.

Hotshot music director Clayton Smith and flutist Jolene Deringer are a two-person orchestra and show off their skills with galloping music and good humor. Be sure to catch a glimpse of them playing a kazoo duet.

Directors pray that opening nights go as smoothly as this one seemed to go. The cast was up for the task and boldly brought the audience onto the metaphorical board game. Younger kids will like this show because it’s colorful and lively. Older ones will admire the work of their peers. And adults will find themselves, their parents, their bosses and personal relationships hidden in the clever wordplay of the script. One thing is for sure. There’s a back-alley, in-your-face feel to this theater that leaves you wanting more.

“The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd” will be performed at 8 p.m. Aug. 16, 21-23, and at 2 p.m. Aug. 17 at 54 Wilson St. in Brewer. For tickets, call 989-5592 or 800-603-8066.