Review: ‘Come Back to the 5 & Dime' musical a clarion call for trans resilience

San Francisco Chronicle​

18 hours ago

With the rights and freedoms of the LGBTQ community currently under attack across the nation, it felt like nothing short of a clarion call to see trans actress Shakina belt out a country-fried ballad touting her character's tenacity to thrive on her own terms on opening night of Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean: A New Musical.'
As Joanne, who her friends last knew as Joe, responds to a snide comment from a peer dismissing her new name, Shakina delivers a thunderous rebuke that showcases her vocal power while compellingly reframing her character's identity not as a choice but as a necessity.
It's a show-stopping moment — one of many in the musical adaptation that made its world premiere on Saturday, June 21 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in conjunction with TheaterWorks Silicon Valley and Broadway & Beyond Theatricals.
Directed by Giovanna Sardelli, with a book by Ashley Robinson and music by Dan Gillespie Sells (of U.K. pop band the Feeling), the production complements the occasionally playful, often profound lyrics penned by show star Shakina. It's a mighty accomplishment for the artist and television actress,best known for her role in the sitcom 'Difficult People,' who has spent more than a decade developing a musical from Ed Graczyk's 1976 cult-classic play and subsequent 1982 film of the same name, both directed by the legendary Robert Altman.
In this reimagining, monologues are swapped for musical numbers as the Disciples of Jimmy Dean — a group of high school friends bonded through their shared love of actor James Dean and their near-mythic obsession of his brief, ill-fated stop in their small Texas hometown to film his final movie, 1956's 'Giant' — reunite at the local Woolworth's 20 years later. The gathering quickly sparks a series of timely revelations about gender, motherhood and queer identity.
Headlined by Shakina's memorable turn as a woman who comes home after leaving as a boy, 'Come Back to the 5 & Dime' marks the second standout theatrical work to emerge from a former cast member of Hulu's cult comedy 'Difficult People.' It follows fellow alum Cole Escola's staggering success with the Tony Award-winning 'Oh, Mary!,' the hit Broadway show he created and starred in. Now, Shakina delivers her own contribution to the stage: a bold reimagining of Graczyk's original script, infused with a renewed focus on transgender identity and a soundtrack more than worthy of a cast recording. The result is a production that feels both destined for and deserving of similar Broadway acclaim.
The supporting cast is just as strong. Lauren Marcus brings tender strength to the role of Mona, a woman who defines herself by a fling she claims she had with James Dean and the son she says resulted from their fleeting encounter. Stephanie Gibson's Sissy stakes her identity on her foul mouth and busty chest, while Hayley Lovegren's Stella Mae lights up the stage as a firecracker full of Texas sass.
Ellie Van Amerongen (Joe/Jimmy Dean), Ashley Cowl (Edna Louise) and Judith Miller (Loretta) round out a cast that shines from top to bottom. Each is given ample opportunity to command the stage, thanks to a dynamite book that doles out intrigue and introspection at a steady pace. One especially poignant moment comes when Joanne delivers the line 'rough edges, by design, reflect a wider range of light' during a tender duet set in the store's bathroom, which underscores the show's quiet defiance amid ongoing battles in America over the rights of trans people to use restrooms that align with their gender identity.
All the while, Nina Ball's gorgeous scenic design ensures that the worn-down 5 & Dime never feels visually stagnant, even as it serves as the production's sole setting. Late in the story, she introduces a clever bit of stagecraft that transports the Disciples back to a formative high school talent show, adding an unexpected layer of dynamism to the space.
But perhaps what's most powerful in 'Come Back to the Five & Dime' is how Joanne's transition is treated not as a centerpiece of the drama, but as one integral piece in a messier picture. While we'd all like to look as cool as the late James Dean in the black-and-white photos that crowd the walls of the group's old hangout, the alternative — however frightening it may often be — is simply to keep living as our truest selves.