The Air is Free: Lawnchair Man soars high above the Corridor

by Joe Jennison

I have been singing one of the numbers from Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre’s production of Robert Lindsey-Nassif’s Flight of the Lawnchair Man again and again and again, and I just can’t seem to get it out of my head. And, I do believe that is a GOOD thing.

The song, “The Air is Free,” is a ballad introduced about three-fourths of the way through the musical comedy, that seems to sum up very concisely and artistically the musical play’s theme: no matter the obstacles against us, all dreams are possible to those who believe. This is one of 15 wonderfully written original songs in the quick-moving, one-act musical.

The play begins with the main character, Jerry Gorman (T.J. Besler), standing on a chair with a noose made out of an extension cord around his neck. Seems his job at the snack bar at Wal-Mart is not satisfying, he is not getting along with his mother (Jane Pini), and his dreams to fly are no more than a pipedream. The only real joy in his life is his faithful, loving and supportive girlfriend, Gracie (Janelle Lauer), a tollbooth worker who believes in him with all her heart. On his 34th birthday, everything seems to hit him: “Jesus had ascended by the time he was 34,” he tells his friends at his party.

And then, he decides to do something extraordinary: he decides to tie hundreds of helium balloons to his lawnchair and take off over the suburbs of New Jersey on a magical flight that immediately captures the attention of TV crews, NASA and the FAA. These scenes with Besler in an actual lawnchair high above the stage on fly-rigging are some of my favorites in the piece. From the sky, Besler’s character imagines conversations with Leonardo Da Vinci (Jeff Jablonski), Amelia Earhart (Nina Swanson) and a tap-dancing Charles Lindbergh (Zach Parker). Besler has a beautiful voice and appears so incredibly comfortable on the lawnchair high above the crowd. This show belongs to him and he seems quite comfortable stepping in and taking control of this character’s dream and destiny.

Of course, a great dream such as this in musical theater requires great obstacles. And here Nassif and writing partner Peter Ulllian (book) create a masculine-but-female FAA Agent (played by Leslie Charipar) that has a very funny moment with Lauer, as they fight over a communication device. The two seem to be channeling Lucy and Ethel as they create a humorous moment of very well-rehearsed, slapstick comedy. Very funny.

The scenery and costumes, credited to Quinn Fortune and Curtis Phillips for the Cumberland County Playhouse in Crossville, Tenn., deserve a mention here. The sets are painted a beautiful sky blue with clouds, and against that backdrop are gorgeous reds and greens and yellows, bright, bright colors that remind the viewer of a live-action Dr. Seuss book. This is a very well-done fantasy that has the look of a Seussical dream -- the creativity involved in this piece is non-stop. The ensemble becomes cars at Gracie’s tollbooth, a neighborhood pilot (Scott Schulte) and his uppity flight attendant (Kate Knudsen) spend a great deal of the piece in a wearable airplane with an accordion middle that they carry across the stage as they dance and sing and rumba. And the music and comedy seem to build throughout the evening up to and including the aforementioned “The Air is Free” number. A nine-piece orchestra conducted by Daniel Kleinknecht keeps the evening moving along, and flying effects by Hall Associates Flying Effects adds much to the production.

There are so many scenes and songs that I loved that require mentioning here: there is a wonderful recreation of the French film The Red Balloon on stage that is just a hoot. Nina Swanson in this piece plays the little boy in the movie and the entire piece is done on a large, recreated TV console that includes real balloons, a slingshot and a very obvious puppet tied to Swanson’s neck – hysterical.

Several smaller characters added fun and humor to the piece as well, including Steve Rezabeck as a completely uptight Wal-Mart manager, and the aforementioned Parker, Swanson and Jablonski as fantasy portrayals of Lindbergh (as Jimmy Stewart), Earhart (as Kathrine Hepburn) and Da Vinci (as someone very Italian, sorry couldn’t place the characterization). I loved these portrayals most of all, very unexpected and totally in keeping with the crazy, colorful fantasy set up by the production team. Kate Knudsen’s Blaire is gorgeous in turquoise (and heels!); Schulte’s Big Jack Preston is completely boorish and lovable. And Lauer’s Gracie offers a full-throttle commitment of love and support of her beau Jerry, which is just as strong and as passionate as Pini’s Mother Gorman’s insistence that her son deny his dreams in favor of a Wal-Mart 401k and health benefits.

At this time of year, the message of pursuing your dreams no matter what the reaction of family, friends, and the general public is so incredibly important. It may be very human to encourage (or outright demand) that our young people continue on a path of security and comfort, but I hope every young person in our community has the opportunity to see and hear and take Nassif’s message to heart.

“You can own the highways and you can own TV,
But you can’t own the air, sir, the air is free.”

I love this song and am listening to it over and over in my head, even as I type this. Congratulations to Nassif and Ullian and Besler and Lauer and Schulte and Knudsen and Pini and Parker and Jablonski and Swanson and the Rezabecks and every other hardworking castmember involved in this production. This high-flying, fun-loving, colorful evening of magic, music, comedy and, oh yes, fly-rigging is a must-see for anyone who still believes that dreaming does matter. I loved it!

“You can’t own the air, sir, the air is free.”

Flight of the Lawnchair Man was commissioned by the Prince Music Theatre, Philadelphia, Penn., which produced the world premiere of 3hree in October 2000 and was originally developed in The Harold Prince Workshop Musical Theatre Program at the Directors Company in New York City. It was also presented at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals in 2004, and was originally produced by The Goodspeed Opera by Michael P. Price, executive producer and Sue Frost, associate producer.


Joe Jennison is a freelance writer and playwright living in Mount Vernon. If you’d like Mr. Jennison to review your show, send him a quick email at joejennison@hotmail.com.

Editor's Note: Due to limited resources, The Iowa Theatre does not regularly cover the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre. However, we are more than willing to publish reviews of such shows, and others in the area, that go beyond our focus. If you are a freelance writer who would like to write about a particular show that is outside of our normal coverage, drop an email and we'll see if we can get it posted.