Welcome to the Big Dipper

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Consider, if you will, a blizzardy night, a cozy inn on the brink of closing forever, suddenly brought back to life by the arrival of two very different groups of travelers who crash into one another. One was a group of men dressed as women, flamboyant in their actions and dress, and the other was religiously quiet, reserved, and plain in dress and actions. It is a story of longing, mystery, desire, and youthful romance, all happening within the uncertain walls of an inn with the ghosts of a glorious history but on the brink of desolation.

Welcome to The Big Dipper is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Jimmy Roberts and a book by Catherine Filloux and John Daggett (inspired by the play All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go by Filloux). It is under the direction of DeMone Seraphin and is billed as being based on an actual event. However, the nature of the event is never revealed. It is a mixed bag of things that work and don’t, which leads to confusion about what it’s about and where it’s trying to go.

The principal plot involves a historic inn on the verge of being sold and closed forever, becoming a refuge for strangers in a storm. The ancillary stories of these strangers, happening within that storyline, give structure to the play without appearing to be a part of it.

A van and a bus collided during the early stages of a blizzard in a town near Niagara Falls. The van’s occupants are Amos King (Robert Cuccioli), an Amish father, his rebellious daughter Rebecca King (Mia Pinero), and a neighbor, Sarah, one of four characters fully embodied by Jillian Louis.

The bus carries The Sirens of Syracuse, Latrice/Larry (Darius Harper subbing for Seraphin), Jacky/Jake Barnes (Michael Yeshion), Venessa/Arnold (Pablo Torres), and their choreographer Carly (Jayae Riley, Jr.). They are a drag singing group on their way to Toronto for a competition. The Big Dipper Inn becomes the sanctuary for these stranded travelers amid a storm.

The prologue is a song performed by the ensemble, imbuing the Inn with a feeling of belonging without the characters revealing their place in the story. Each sings of the things that define the Inn, from its structure to what it was and is, with the words “a refuge,” “a shelter,” and a key statement, “It was a sanctuary.”

Joan Wilkes (Debra Walton), a former cabaret singer, is the Inn’s current owner. She inherited it from her mother and a long line of ancestors starting in the 1800s. She is selling the Inn to pay off debts and finance her son Dez’s (Christian Magby) college tuition.

The play opens with a short conversation between Joan (Walton) and Mr. Sapper (Darius Harper) before she sings what is to be the last performance in the Li’l Dipper Club. She tells the club audience they must leave right after the song because of the big snowstorm hitting the area. Her song, “Sanctuary,” is a hymn that defines The Big Dipper Inn and sets the tone for what follows. When I saw the play, Walton’s voice was not in top form, which is unfortunate for such a pivotal number.

Mr. Sapper, a saxophone player in Wilkes’ band before a car accident ended his playing days, was taken in by Wilkes’ mother, Viola. He works as a handyman at the Inn. Harper not only inhabits this character but also Latrice (Larry), one of the drag performers.

As the storm intensifies, Officer Finley, one of Pablo Torres’s four solidly embodied characters, requests that Joan house some stranded travelers until the storm ends. Torres’ transition between characters is flawless, giving each a distinct presentation. His other characters are Venessa (Arnold), a Siren of Syracuse; Eli, a young Amish man; and Billings, the local high school custodian.

The song “Welcome to The Big Dipper Inn” reveals some key characters’ background. As Joan registers each traveler, she asks if they have any baggage, which triggers personal revelations. Jacky/Jake, a drag performer, talks of his secret desire to wear dresses and the secret he has kept from his wife. Amos, the Amish father, talks of the loss of his wife and his struggles with his rebellious daughter Rebecca.

These characters represent various personal and social issues, from diversity and inclusion to accepting and taking pride in yourself. The problem is that any personal stories revealed need more depth to develop these issues meaningfully. A tighter focus on a few topics would have a greater impact on the points being made.

Jennifer Byrne plays the antagonist, Bonnie Haskins. She is an employee of a ruthless real estate developer trying to buy the Inn. Byrne is believably a real estate agent, playing her as a cross between supportive and pushy. She plays two minor characters as well. Her portrayal of Abigail, an elderly, hard-of-hearing Amish woman, is intended to add humor through her misinterpretation of the words she is hearing. The other is the ghost of Annie, the first woman to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Byrne gives a strong performance of the song “Go With What You Got” about the cut-throat nature of her business and how to deal with her doubts.

Teenage romance is another element in the show. Dez and Rebecca are attracted to each other from the moment they meet. Although coming from very different worlds, their relationship is one of the best stories in the show. Magby and Pinero both have fine voices and solid chemistry in the two duets they sing.

These numbers, “It’s Not Running Away” and “This Is New,” firmly establish and complete the connection between Rebecca and Dez. The first is Dez encouraging and supporting Rebecca’s desire to follow through with her dream of honoring her mother with a visit to the falls. He says it is not a rebellion against her father but an expression of her independence. The second number carries the idea of independence forward, with Rebecca seeing the value of a computer for the first time and acknowledging her romantic attraction to Dez.

Robert Cuccioli’s performance of Amos’ song “Carriages” is noteworthy. He sings this while searching for Rebecca after she disappears with Dez from the Inn. It is a song about the struggle of raising his daughter in a modern world whose existence constantly challenges the old-world values supported by his Amish community. Cuccioli’s portrayal of Amos is believable but still more of a sketch than a realization.

The penultimate number, “Bones of the House,” concludes the saga of the Inn’s sale. Harper gives a strong, emotional performance of a song that offers social commentary and historical explanation. The finale number follows, with each character providing a snapshot of what happened to them after their days at The Big Dipper Inn.

Brian Pacelli’s set designs are adequate for a space without a revolving stage. They need to convey the interior of an Inn fully. His projection designs work, taking up the full back wall of the stage and defining a number of the settings, including an animation of Niagara Falls.

The costume design by Janine Loesch is also adequate but needs to be improved in the drag ladies’ costumes. Bright colors and flashy dresses are required to be true to drag performers, but both are missing.

Kristen Paige’s lighting design makes good use of the space and works well in defining the scenes and moving the action. Julian Evans does the best he can with the limitations of the sound system. The speaker arrangement in the theater causes all of the sound to be at the center of the stage sounding more like a concert than musical theater. Ashley Marinelli’s choreography lacks coordination and clear definition.

Doug Kataros’s orchestrations are performed by a four-piece ensemble led by the music director: Beth Falcone on keyboard, Anthony Morris on bass, Nicole DeMaio on reeds, and J.J. Johnson on viola. Falcone manages to make the group sound like a much bigger orchestra.

Welcome to The Big Dipper (through December 29, 2024)

The York Theatre Company

The Theatre St. Jean’s, 150 East 76^th Street, in Manhattan.

For tickets, call: 212-935-5820, or visit https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/34375/1730433600000

Running time: one hour and 45 minutes without an intermission

A musical comedy about an historic inn becoming a refuge for strangers in a storm.