Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The music-soaked COAL COUNTRY is documentary theater of the highest order

• By drediman
• March 5, 2020
• No Comments

Steve Earle and company in the Public Theater’s production of “Coal Country” . Photo by Joan Marcus.

This week saw the opening of yet another Off-Broadway show, the Public Theater’s production of Coal Country. The new play with music – written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen and featuring songs by Grammy-winning country music artist Steve Earle – is in essence a piece of documentary theater. Ms. Blank and Mr. Jensen are no strangers to the sub-genre, having previously covered the experiences of death row inmates in The Exonerated to great acclaim. In their latest work, they turn their attention to the 2010 Upper Big Branch coal mine explosion in West Virginia that tragically killed 29 miners.

As with other such pieces of theater (e.g., recently Dana H. and Is This a Room, as well as the catalogue of shows by The Civilians), the text of the music-soaked Coal Country has been culled from various firsthand accounts. In this instance, these come from the lucky survivors of the explosion, as well as some of the deceased miners’ loved ones. What comes through loud and clear is their anger and frustration toward the grossly irresponsible events leading up to the explosion and the resulting injustices, and, to a lesser extent, a collective sadness around the slow demise of a proud, longstanding community and way of life. Although one-sided, Coal Country is nevertheless a skillfully assembled collage – from the informative yet succinct exposition, to the tension-filled mounting series of events, to the depiction of the explosion itself, to the mournful aftermath – that translates beautifully as a satisfying theater.

Ms. Blank directs the piece with simplicity and restrained care, allowing the audience to maximize its attention on the unvarnished human stories laid bare onstage. Her work seamlessly melds the accounts into an elegantly choreographed tapestry that’s at once graceful and muscular. Suffice to say, she draws some honest, hugely affecting acting from her hardworking ensemble cast. But what truly elevates Coal Country to being documentary theater of the highest order is Mr. Earle’s gritty, soulful songs and sturdy presence. Armed with a banjo and a guitar, the accomplished musician gives a performance that comes from a place of deep respect for the people in the story. His work acts as the production’s connective tissue and grounds the piece in authenticity.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

COAL COUNTRY
Off-Broadway, Play
The Public Theater
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 29