‘Lonesome Traveler’

The musical revue, subtitled “A Journey Down the Rivers and Streams of American Folk,” will be performed through May 15 at Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. Performances are at 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $49-$69 adults, $30 students. Call 667-2900 or visit rubicontheatre.org.

“A good folk song (is) three chords and the truth, that’s all you need.” That statement, posted by musician Trevor Wheetman on the Rubicon Theatre Company website during the run-up to the world premiere of “Lonesome Traveler,” says it all, neatly and sweetly.

The episodic show tracing the roots and influences of American folk song into the 1960s is the brainchild of Rubicon’s artistic director James O’Neil, whose father was one of those folks knocking at California’s door in the wake of the Midwest’s Dust Bowl of desolation in the early 1900s. Times ranged from bad to awful, but there was that bond of togetherness that helped people survive, as it had earlier in America among those who endured slavery.

O’Neil worked on “Lonesome Traveler” side by side with musical arranger and supervisor Dan Wheetman, and associate musical director Trevor Wheetman, Dan’s son, quoted above. Along with them on the tune-filled road are seven singers of a new generation who have mastered folk styles and are able to add their own instrumental accompaniment, bolstered by young Wheetman and James Webb, another multifaceted musician and son of legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb.

With solid credentials all around, it’s no surprise that “Lonesome Traveler” is replete with songs masterfully performed, an infectious mix of spirituals, protests with a beat and hardscrabble ditties with underpinnings of hope.

Jeanne Tanner/Contributed photo

Brendan Willing James, Justin Flagg and Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper (from left) co-star jn “Lonesome Traveler,” a musical revue celebrating America’s rich tradition of folk music.

Justin Flagg as The Lonesome Traveler leads the way through the periods and flashbacks that have studded the road of music by the people and for the people. Along the way he gives a credible nod in his own way to the styles and presence of such notables as A.P. Carter, Pete Seeger and Peter Yarrow, joining in as partner or soloist in songs each popularized.

Flagg is teamed with Tracy Nicole Chapman, whose vibrant and compelling voice is perfectly attuned to everything she sings; Justine Bennett, whose voice can handle anything from the forthright delivery of early folk to the soaring shimmer of Joan Baez; Sylvie Davidson, who also echoes the clarity of folk pioneers, along with the zest of Mary Travers; Brendan Willing James, a tousle-haired Ojai musician who can adjust his forceful voice through compelling renditions by such icons as Woody Guthrie, Noel Paul Stookey and Bob Dylan; Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper, who personifies folk heroes like Bob Shane, Cisco Houston and Glenn Yarborough; and Anthony Manough, who renders rocking versions of Lead Belly’s “Rock Island Line” and “Midnight Special.”

Manough also adds the exciting beat of a bongo drum in the Jamaican segment, where he gets a chance to swing island-style with several of Harry Belafonte’s hits. Each of the singers handles a range of period-appropriate instruments and blend beautifully into ensemble and backup vocals. Manough and Chapman bring Broadway credentials to the stage while singer-songwriters Bennett and James appear regularly at Zoey’s Cafe in Ventura. Davidson is a Seattle actor and singer, and Mongiardo-Cooper and Flagg are New York-based actor-musicians.

Jeanne Tanner/Contributed photos

Rubicon Theatre Artistic Director James O’Neil created and directed “Lonesome Traveler.” Sylvie Davidson, Justin Flagg, Justine Bennett, Brendan Willing James and Tracy Nicole Chapman (from left) co-star in the folk music revue.

The bevy of talent brings forth fascinating performances of songs, some long forgotten, others so famous that they lend themselves to the encouraged singalong moments in the show. Among them are “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know Yuh,” “This Land is Your Land,” “Tzena, Tzena, Tzena,” “If I Had a Hammer,” “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine,” “Hallelujah, I’m a Bum,” “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “We Shall Overcome.” Folk themes fade in and out of popularity, but the rousing “Talkin’ Union” has a particularly contemporary resonance.

Reaffirming the sense of history and song are visuals depicting the Depression and ’60s eras, costumes and wigs perfectly keyed to the periods and styles, and instrumentation faithful to the times.

O’Neil has mixed feel-good favorites with thought-provoking calls to action in a realistic amalgam of what draws people together, and what gives them hope that when they have a meeting of hearts and minds the future is theirs to shape. As with any freshly minted show, “Lonesome Traveler” remains in flux as O’Neil and his crew sense where the audience is coming from, and where they want that Lonesome Traveler to take them.

Email Rita Moran at ritamoran@earthlink.net.

Similar Posts:

• Emmy-winning singer-songwriter Ernest Troost will perform in Camarillo
• Experience a diverse slate of music with ‘Big! World! Fun!’
• Krauss brings red-hot bluegrass show to Melody Tent
• Cape theater company scores with ‘Sound of Music’
• Miranda Lambert to do a duet with Dia Frampton on “The Voice” season finale Wednesday