Star-Ledger Staff
BY PETER FILICHIA
Saturday, November 16, 2002
Rome Neal saunters on the stage of the Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, wearing a dark blue plaid jacket that doesn't quite complement his black pants. The black-and-blue metaphor is fitting, though,
considering the person he's playing: Thelonious Monk.
In the 78-minute, one-man show booked at the theater, Neal recalls the battering the legendary jazz pianist took from society -- not to mention the musician's own self-destructive habits.
"Monk" is only 50 seconds long before one demon turns up. "I need a
drink," he says, suddenly interrupting a story he's hardly started. He
liberally swigs from a bottle -- whether it's supposed to be water or vodka is
anyone's guess -- as the performance continues.
Laurence Holder's script contains some sharp details. When Monk (1917-1982)
heard a brook running through Central Park, he noted that it flowed in 6/8
time. He tells about the thrill of playing his "first good piano,"
after years of out-of-tune uprights. And, he mentions, he purposely showed
up late at his nightclub performances to raise the tension level among the
patrons, who'd appreciate him more after they began to doubt he'd show at all.
Then there was the time a nightclub patron asked him to play "Melancholy
Baby." Monk did it his way, and only the most astute jazz aficionados
would have detected the melody.
Though Monk talks about playing the same note over and over for
effect, a play cannot be a one-note enterprise, and soon "Monk" constantly
reiterates the same points about substance abuse ("Getting high when you're
playing is dangerous") and racism. The audience also is unprepared for a scene in which
Monk mourns the death of his mother. His grief would be more touching if she
were introduced earlier in the script.
But Neal deliciously cackles when he punctuates a fond reminiscence,
and has excellent eye contact with his audience. He personifies a man who
can't stand still when he talks. It may be the booze or the drugs, but it
could be that music continually flowed through him. His right hand is always in
motion, as if he's leading a band. What's most astonishing is how
surprisingly agile he is for a large man; at one point, he even jumps
rope to show off his spryness, and his display is at first impressive,
eventually dazzling.
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