Colossal at Mixed Blood Theatre

Darius Dotch and Torsten Johnson in Colossal. Photo by Rich Ryan.

What a gutsy title: Colossal (Mixed Blood, through Nov 9).

Think what it implies: size, power, endurance, maleness, calculated violence, theatricality. A heady celebration of the game of football – and it is; football is truly one of the greatest games ever devised by human beings. Physicality, sweat and pure bristling exuberance.

Mixed Blood’s publicity for Colossal emphasizes this: performed in four fifteen minute quarters (with halftime entertainment), Andrew Hinderaker‘s play abounds with tackling, pushups, passing, accompanied by pounding drums. Not to mention a dancer weaving around the footballers, performing Angharad Davies nicely understated choreography. Colossal is part of New Play Network’s Rolling World Premiere; Mixed Blood’s production falls roughly halfway through a series.

Imagine my disappointment, then, when I discovered that the basic story of Colossal is small and quiet, tender and delicate, with none of the giddy power that the title would lead you to expect. Mike (Torsten Johnson) is a young running back who defies his dancer father (David Deblieck) by playing football (“Mike is the only guy in history to disappoint his father by choosing football”). Mike falls in love with another player, Marcus (the wonderful Darius Dotch). Mike and Marcus’s extended mating dance is one of Colossal‘s highlights. Mike receives a spinal injury, and becomes confined to a wheelchair. The suspense here is whether this Mike (played with affecting sullen intensity by Toby Forrest) will, under trainer Jerry (Ansa Akyea)’s indefatigable guidance, walk five steps.

And that’s more or less it. It’s not that all this doesn’t work. It does, but it’s saddled with a theatrical style that feels overblown and a touch silly. In a quiet, more focused play the story would work, imo, far better than it does here.

Certainly, there are pleasures, as when the cast removes their shirts. Yowza! I’ve mentioned the erotic charge generated by Johnson and Dotch. There is also Akyea’s cheerful and engaging persistence; he is going to by God make Mike walk. In every scene he is a pleasure.

And disappointments. The great Stephen Yoakam, one of our finest actors, is given precious little to do in Colossal.

All in all, Colossal seems torn between the quiet demands of the basic story and the rollicking panache with which it’s presented. Perhaps a balance can be struck between the two impulses. It hasn’t happened yet.

For more info about John Olive please visit his (recently updated) website.