Date: Fri 20-Dec-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: CAROLL

Illustration: C

Location: A12

Quick Words:

Runaways-Swados-Harding

Full Text:

(rev "Runaways" @Danbury Theatre Co, 12/20/96)

Theatre Review-

A Tough Look At Troubled Teens

By Julie Stern

DANBURY - A few weeks ago The New York Times Sunday Magazine ran as its lead

story a sad account of an adolescent sub-culture - hapless teens who, having

run away from their middle class suburban homes, congregate in the combat

zones of American cities, supporting themselves by panhandling, prostitution,

drug dealing and theft. Oddly enough, the article coincided with the opening

of the Danbury Theater Company's production of Elizabeth Swados' powerful

musical, Runaways .

The show consists of forty-some dramatic monologues and songs done in a

variety of musical styles, by a company of 18 kids from a half dozen area

towns and schools, brought together under the talented direction of Tony

Saracino.

Joe Harding's stark set of wild graffiti-smeared barricaded doorways provides

an effective backdrop for these nomads who, like the abandoned Christmas

puppies one child invokes, are not wanted anywhere, and have been conveniently

forgotten.

They sing of family wars and tensions which drove them to run away in the

first place - drug addicted parents, broken homes, anger and abuse - and they

describe the horrors of street life with chilling understatement.

Perhaps the most harrowing number is Morgan Brennan's song of a 13-year old

prostitute, grateful for the kindness of her pimp: "Miko treats me real good,

he put bars on the window of our apartment and he has a German shepherd named

Sam to keep us safe... when I'm sixteen maybe I'll get my driver's license and

go away from here..."

There are no lead roles in this musical, and no stars. Rather, the cast

members take turns with the solos, and sometimes work in groups. Thus, five

kids describe life on the "Minnesota Strip" - the name for a section of the

city where businessmen in cars cruise in search of fresh, young,

wholesome-looking blondes of both sexes - while another group sings of the

dangers encountered "In the Sleeping Line" (at a public shelter).

The crisp, professional-level choreography was done by Saracino with the

assistance of Nikki Sanders, one of the performers. There is no credit listed

for the costumes; apparently the kids simply dressed in their inimitable

raggedy-pierced fashion, which underlines the double paradox that lies at the

heart of this deeply moving show:

From the hippy beads and psychedelic tie-dyed robes of the Sixties, to the

mohawks and masochism of punk, the Doc Martins and jailhouse tattoos of the

skinheads to the backwards caps and oversized pants of the hip-hop skaters and

gangsta rap aficionados, the dividing line between style and content is not

always clear. What for some adolescents is merely a fashionable look, adopted

by nice kids who will work at the supermarket and take their SATs and go on to

wear suits when they grow up, is in other cases a sign of emotional

undercurrents of anger and alienation. To many adults it is hard to tell the

difference, whether it is the shopkeepers and police who overreact to the

exaggerated pos turing of childish wannabes, or family members who fail to

recognize the symptoms of a troubled kid who is embarking on a genuinely

self-destructive lifestyle.

At the same time, the obvious emotional bonding that so clearly transfuses the

cast members - these kids from different towns, different backgrounds,

different races and different ages - who derived such rewards from working so

hard at producing the show, indicates they have discovered the answer to the

problem that affects all too many modern teens: how to find meaning and

satisfaction in what they do, and how to involve themselves in the real world

in a way that is both authentic and constructive.

Director Saracino is an experienced actor and musical performer who knows how

to put on a good show. He is also a professional educator who knows how to

elicit masterful results from the kids he works with.

In the case of Runaways it is a toss-up as to who has benefited more: the

audiences who see the show at the Danbury Theater Company, or the 18 kids who

staged it.

Elizabeth Swados' affecting collage based on true stories of teenagers,

Runaways continues at St. James' Church, 25 West Street in Danbury, through

December 21. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 7. For

details on ticket availability, call 790-1161.