‘Born To Do This’ lifts Company Theatre to new heights

By Rich Fahey

NORWELL – “Born To Do This” is a remarkable theatrical achievement.

The Company Theatre is presenting a full-length world premiere rock opera on the life of Joan of Arc, and it establishes a new benchmark for excellence for the 45-year-old company.

“Born to Do This” is a sprawling epic, which marches across France and overseas to England over the course of years and chronicles the life of the saint who was eventually executed  as a heretic, before reclaiming her reputation in a subsequent trial.  

Company Theatre co-founder Zoe Bradford wrote the book and lyrics with music and additional lyrics by Melissa Carubia; Bradford also co-directed with Sally Ashton Forrest, who has handled choreography for the theater on many occasions.

Michael Hammond. who has served the company in a variety of ways through the years, is also listed as a collaborator.

The cast is headed by Liza Giangrande as Jeanne in a theatrical tour de force, the same level of performance she gave when she starred in “Little Women” for the Greater Boston Stage Company, a role that earned her an Elliot Norton Award nomination.

She’s not the Lone Ranger out there. There’s excellent support in a wide variety of roles and characters. Peter S. Adams brings a winning stage presence and an iron clad voice to every role he plays, and here he is Duke D’Alencom, a powerful general and close comrade to Jeanne. Braden Misiaszek is fine as de Metz, the knight enamored with Jeanne whose feelings go unrequited.

Zion Amparo makes for a very flashy and strong-voiced St. Michael the Archangel while Dru Daniels and Kaleigh E. Bumpus are St. Catherine and St. Margaret, both of whom played a large role in the legend of the “Maid of Orleans.”

St, Michael told Jeanne that she would be visited by both saints; Jeanne prayed to St. Catherine of Alexandria and a voice told her to journey to the church named for the saint, where Jeanne found the sword she used to great effect.  At her trial, Jeanne also testified that St. Margaret of Antioch also spoke to her.

Steve Dooner has been a Company mainstay for several decades, and he’s called upon to play Bishop Cauchon, the prosecutor in Jeanne’s trial who played a major role in her eventual execution.  

Bradford and her collaborators based the book for “Born To Do This” on actuals events and quotes, but also made changes for dramatic purposes.

If there is one area where the piece falls a bit short, it’s because sung-through rock operas don’t provide the needed exposition that spoken dialogue does to allow you to quickly establish who’s who when it comes to the characters in certain situations.

Bradford has included a brief description of each character in the cast list to help you along, but it still can be confusing at times when the action moves briskly.

The show is named for one of the best musical collaborations, a fiery number performed exquisitely by Giangrande.  But the one number that will have you humming is “Angels All Around,” a tribute to those guiding Jeanne along the way, a number  which is reprised on several occasions.

Projections and maps that are part of Logan Puleikis’ visual production design add context and information and allow the action to be transferred seamlessly from France to England and back again amid the political intrigue between the French and British thrones.

The maps and other information on dates and places are very helpful in assisting  us in following the story as it moves through the country and over several years, but there were moments when the images could have lingered on screen for a few seconds more to be fully absorbed, especially when the details were vital in moving the story forward.

The other production values are simply sublime. Set designer Ryan Barrow has been challenged by the company in productions such as “Sweeney Todd” and has proven up to the task, even here in a show that and that counts 22 scene changes over two acts.

Rachel Padula Shufelt is a much in demand costume designer tasked with outfitting the large, diverse cast and renderings are colorful and creative.

The lighting design by Dean Palmer jr. is facile and changes moods quickly and easily, from Jeanne’s triumph in battle to her near-fatal wounding, to her capture and trial.

A 14-pioece orchestra under the direction of Robert McDonough gives full voice to the score, and the heavy use of guitars and keyboards in Jeri Sykes’ en pointe orchestrations gives the piece the rock feel it needs.

There will be no happy ending, of course, just an uplifting one as the angels lift Jeanne to her honored place among the saints after her rehabilitation trial.

In program notes Bradford said the decision to work with Hammond and Carubia on the piece was deeply personal and the relevance of the story became apparent   at a time when she said the voices of people of color and the Queer community are  not being heard.

“Jeanne d’Arc was one voice who was able to affect change,” said Bradford. “My hope is ‘Born To Do This’ will become a resounding anthem for the many who are looking to find that voice.”

With no blueprint to follow, new work is always a terrifying proposition. This production both does justice to and at the same time elevates the story of Joan of Arc. Kudos to all involved.

The Company Theatre world premiere production of “BornTto Do This.”  Book and lyrics by Zoe Bradford. Music and additional lyrics by Melissa Carubia. Collaboration by Michael Hammond. Directed by Bradford and Sally Ashton Forrest. Set design by Ryn Barrow. Music direction by Robert McDonough. Costume design by Rachel Padula Shufelt. Orchestrations by Jeri Sykes. Lighting design by Dean Palmer Jr. Visual Projection design by Logan Puleikis. At the Company Theatre, Accord Pond Drive, Norwell, through Aug. 20. Companytheatre.com.