Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus tells the story of “the first government expeditions on the Green and Colorado rivers in the year 1869,” according to the Roger Williams University (RWU) Theater program, but under the fake facial hair and clunky boots an all-female and non-binary cast paddles the spirit of the show.
On November 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd in the RWU Theater, commonly referred to as The Barn, the stage was set with wooden boats, paddles, and mountains. Traverse seating, meaning the audience is split facing each other while the stage is between the two, allowed for an up-close look into the performance and the story being told.
The staging of this expedition utilized boats held up by each cast member with in-sync movements to bring the audience through rough and calm waters. The ensemble based aspect of Men on Boats, brought to life by director Jaclyn Backhaus, gave a clear view of the teamwork that went into not only this dangerous trek but also that of the members of this production. Whether it be shouting lines together, navigating boats in harmony, or tossing lines to each other, it was clear the effort put into rehearsing each group movement was purposeful and well-practiced.
This show is comical, but still holds room for deeper moments throughout the story. An excellent example of this is Riley McConnell who played Frank Goodman, in which McConnell monologued to a fish but did so in an emotional way that gave insight on the character’s sense of direction, future plans throughout the story, and still managed to leave room for moments of laughter.
John Wesley Powell, played by Luris Ozkan, showed the strength and resilience of the character while also balancing inner weakness and leadership. This highlights the female and non-binary actors often being in the minority and brings to light their strengths, but also the weakness felt from being underrepresented in history and in modern society.
Men on Boats captures the harmony played between both comedy and delivering a serious message: history is shaped by perspective.
