A wacky, improbable tribute to the roller derby crazy of the 1950s, The Jammer: A Roller Derby Love Story becomes a hilarious, fast-paced comedy in the hands of Bialystock & Bloom Company. The troupe rightfully earns its place as the "bad boys of Milwaukee theater" with a show that features plenty of foul language and a few risque scenes tossed in for good measure. To get pre-show audiences in the mood, bags of popcorn are handed out along with the theater programs. Bottles of beer are available, too, and the audience is encouraged to tote both popcorn and beer to the facing rows of bleacher seating. Properly armed for the onstage roller- derby antics, the audience can sit back and have a really great time.
It should be noted that cheering, jeering and name-calling are perfectly acceptable behaviors. Those sitting in the front row also should be cautioned -- they may wind up with a displaced skater sitting in their lap! The show progresses at such breakneck speed, often it's difficult to make out the rapid-fire dialogue. Perhaps that's not such a loss, once the characters begin revealing the predictable details of their sad-sack lives.
The love story aspect of the plot is very thin soup. It mainly concerns Jack, a good Catholic boy who cannot make up his mind about when to marry his impatient fiance. Jack is also torn between devoting his life to "steady work" at a cardboard factory and cab driving, and his crazy love of roller derby. Finally, a slick, Mafia-type godfather called Lenny gives him a break. Of course, Jack becomes a skating demon. His love of the roller derby circuit takes him far away from the arms of his girl and the guidance of an older priest who has basically raised him. (A subplot involving this old-fashioned priest and the arrival of a younger, Spanish-speaking priest is one of the show's highlights. The playwright takes on-target hits at Catholic guilt and church doctrine.)
Scenes in The Jammer alternate between the church, the roller derby locker room, a team bus and the derby stage itself. As Jack, the funny, talented Kevin Rich holds the show together with a firm, convincing grip of the material. That's as it should be, since the program notes reveal that the playwright wrote the character of Jack with Rich in mind. Not only is Rich in his element here, he is supported by a very capable cast. Many actors fill multiple roles, and this only adds to the hilarity. Of particular note are Patrick Holland as the slimy Lenny, Bryce Lord as the benevolent, lecture-giving Father Kosciusko, and Ron Lee as a cocky member of the New York Bomber roller derby team. On the distaff side, Emily Trask gets in her chops as a hard-hitting roller derby queen, and Leah Dutchin also does a number of memorable turns in several roles. The choreography cleverly mimics skating movements, and the frequent musical interludes keep us firmly rooted in the 1950s.
Costumes by Kristina Van Slyke range from realistic to uproariously over-the-top. Director Jonathan West clearly plays the show for laughs, and he frequently allows his actors to veer into the absurd.
One comes away from The Jammer with a better understanding of how roller derby set the stage for professional wrestling in the years ahead, and perhaps that's all the lesson one needs for an evening's entertainment.
