Private Jones, Signature Theatre, Arlington, VA

 

Johnny Link (Gomer Jones) and the cast of Private Jones at Signature Theatre. Photo by Christopher Mueller.

Signature Theatre’s current presentation (continuing through March 10), a musical written and directed by Marshall Pailet, has the very unremarkable title, Private Jones. The title, though, is the only unremarkable thing about it.

According to a program note, Pailet was at a writer’s conference in 2019 when he came across an article about – now, let this sink in – a deaf Welsh sniper during World War I. Definitely not typical fare for musical theatre, but an incredible challenge. The result is an intriguing story of one man’s determination to use his talents to support his country in a time of war, just like his friends.

What Pailet has created, with a talented cast of hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing performers and a set of gifted designers, is much more remarkable than you might expect from such a mundanely-titled show. There really was a Gomer Jones, but his circumstances here are mostly fictional, since all that seems to be known for certain is that there was a sharpshooter by that name.

The play is divided into five sections, reflecting the five stages of Jones’s odyssey. The first, “Breconshire,” introduces young Gomer and others in the Welsh town. We learn that Gomer Jones has lost his hearing (he refers to it as his “listening”) as a boy. His father introduces him to target shooting, at which he excels. When recruiters arrive, the young men of Breconshire are anxious to join the South Wales Borderers. Many of them, like Gomer, are underage. Gomer is disqualified because of his deafness. He meets a kindly nurse, Gwenolyn (with no “d”), who recognizes Gomer’s disability. Her brother is deaf and works at a munitions factory. Gwenolyn suggests that there is more than one way to contribute to the war effort for which he is well-suited: working with her brother’s company. Gomer, however, is determined that using his sharpshooting skills is the way he can make a difference.

Alex DeBard, Johnny Link (Gomer Jones), Amelia Hensley, Leanne Antonio (Gwenolyn), George Psomas, and Dickie Drew Hearts (Henry) in Private Jones at Signature Theatre. Photo by Daniel Rader.

“Training Camp” is the second stage of this journey. Gomer has managed to bluff his way into service by reading lips and with the aid of sympathetic friends. He has joined a rowdy group that calls themselves “bastards.” Gomer bonds with a particularly boisterous and braggadocious colleague, King, who gets away with much because King’s uncle commands the unit.

In the third stage, we reach “The Western Front.” Gomer’s secret is revealed as he fails to take cover from an incoming mortar that everyone else hears. He also reunites with one of his Breconshire friends, Redvers, who has lost a leg.

Johnny Link (Gomer Jones) and Erin Weaver (King) in Private Jones at Signature Theatre. Photo by Christopher Mueller.

Act Two begins with “The Calm.” A break in the fighting creates a growing sense of impending danger. Gomer’s impairment causes more problems: because he can’t hear, he can’t make others (specifically his spotters) aware of impending dangers. A soldier named Edmund, who has become his nemesis, “outs” him as deaf. In the final section, “The Storm,” Edmund learns of an unexpected relationship with Gomer that could further their mutual antagonism, but they reach a détente of sorts before returning to Breconshire.

The enormity of Marshall Pailet’s accomplishment can hardly be overstated. Creating a musical means writing the script and the lyrics as well as the music. To do even one of those tasks well requires discipline and talent and perseverance. And then Pailet directed it, as well! I often think that playwrights who direct lack the objectivity to fully understand what works and what doesn’t. Pailet, however, commits fully to his vision for this piece and is laser-focused on ensuring that every aspect of the production serves its success.

No doubt it helps a great deal that Pailet has remarkable collaborators. Scenic designers Christopher and Justin Swader provide a space that can be transformed from a hospital to the trenches of the Western Front and the fields outside Breconshire. Phong Nguyen’s costume designs appear to be historically correct as well as serviceable, down to and including headgear. Jen Schriever’s lighting design is effective in directing focus and setting mood, as well as assisting in creating special effects of battle. Eric Norris has created a number of sound effects that help to convey the play’s action, a “soundscape” that simulates sounds that the now-deaf Gomer may recall from before losing his hearing.

Although there isn’t much “dance” in the traditional sense in Private Jones, there is much choreographed movement during the play’s action, especially in sequences at the Western Front, creatively executed by choreographer Misha Shields. Myrna Conn is responsible for the music direction and Marika Countouris conducts the six capable musicians (including her). I note with pleasure that the orchestra is once again visible to the audience; they deserve to be recognized for their work.

Another important detail about the intricacies of creating this show. Involves the language. Technically, the performance is trilingual, being performed, at least in part, in three languages: spoken English, of course, but also American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL). The program informs us that ASL and BSL are considerably different. When the Welsh characters sign to other Welsh characters, BSL is used. When portions of the play are signed for the benefit of the audience, ASL is used. (The performance also uses open captioning, so deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members should not miss anything.) Alexandria Wailes serves as director of artistic sign language.

The cast includes a mix of Signature favorites and new faces. Johnny Link, who plays Gomer, was part of the Goodspeed Musicals workshop for the show and is making his DC area debut. He embodies Gomer’s humanity, his desire to serve his country, his bravery, and his comradeship with his fellow soldiers. I’m not positive, but I believe that he never leaves the stage. His performance is strong and self-assured.

Two remarkable women deserve special praise. Leanne Antonio is new to DC audiences, but I hope she will become a fixture of DC theatre. Antonio makes a strong impression as the nurse Gwenolyn, who first discerns Gomer’s deafness and helps him learn how to function. Antonio oozes compassion and kindness, so it is no surprise when Gomer develops feelings for her. She also brings a mellifluous soprano to “Every Soul’s a Soul,” before turning up later as Evans, one of Gomer’s sharpshooting spotters.

Erin Weaver, a Signature favorite who most recently appeared as The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, takes on the role of King, a rambunctious and randy fellow soldier who develops a special simpatico relationship with Gomer. While part of me believes that a male actor should be performing the role, Weaver commits to it so fully and with such energy, I have to admire her for not just attempting it, but pulling it off, completely.

Vincent Michael (Edmund) and the cast of Private Jones at Signature Theatre. Photo by Daniel Rader. 

I recognized Vincent Michael from numerous previous Signature productions, but did not recall him by that name. Going back through my playbills, I believe I have seen him about nine times before, noting that he was listed as Vincent Kempski as recently as Into the Woods. Whatever name he is called, he is an imposing (and appropriately intimidating) presence physically and vocally, while also almost entirely unsympathetic as Edmund, and serving as fight captain for the production.

Truth be told, each of the performers is top-notch, as is customary at Signature. The company was greeted with a standing ovation at the performance I attended, which included a number of members communicating in ASL.

I don’t know what is next for Private Jones. It does not seem like commercial material, but then the idea of a musical about a dead Argentine first lady or the first Continental Congress or a Siamese king and the Englishwoman he hires to tutor his children seemed unlikely subjects. (That's Evita, 1776, and The King and I, in case you didn't recognize them.) And when Lin-Manuel Miranda announced that he was writing a rap/hip-hop musical about Alexander Hamilton, people laughed hysterically.

Just think: if Marshall Pailet had skipped that article or read another, perhaps about someone with a different limitation from a different country with a different military skill in a different time period, he might have created a musical about a blind Scotsman with an uncanny ability to decode Nazi communications during World War II. Or maybe that’s something Pailet should consider…

In any case, I’d be there to see it.

Erin Weaver (King, center) and the cast of Private Jones at Signature Theatre, Photo by Daniel Rader.