Review by Neal Newman
January 22, 2024
SMALL, an area premiere written and performed by Robert Montano, is not your typical one-person show. It is a Jerome Robbins ballet. Or at least it appears to be. This is no monologue delivered by an older actor behind a podium. This is a SHOW, featuring an astonishing actor-singer-dancer backed by an equally brilliant team of director, designers, and crew. It must be seen to be believed.
The setting by Christopher and Justin Swader resembles a stable (the play is about horse racing), but it can resolve into vivid storytelling pictures. The equally powerful lighting design of Jamie Roderick assists in this visual feast. There is also a wonderfully complex sound plot by Brian Ronan. The splendor never stops in what seems like ten thousand cues, all masterfully pulled by stage manager Karen “Curly” Schleifer. This is all held together by the director Jessi D. Hill, who, with the other team members, have been with the production at the Penguin Rep Theater and Off-Broadway.
Montano was a name not familiar to me, but the moment he appeared, I remembered experiencing his excellent performances in ON THE TOWN on Broadway and in the film CHICAGO. He doesn’t act the play; he dances it. Every move is beautiful, and every stage picture of his is memorable.
He tells the story of his early teen years when a visit to Belmont Park Racetrack creates a love of horses and his desire to become a jockey. Since he is young and growing, he easily fits the description of a jockey: Five foot three tall, weight: 105 pounds. As he matures and advances in a field demanding mental and physical perfection, it becomes clear that he will never be that small. He will become a man of average height and weight. He undergoes a brutal physical, mental, and physical regimen of exercise and dieting that brings his weight down but nearly kills him. Since Montano has become a significant stage and screen presence, the theme is obviously that supreme success in any field requires extraordinary pain and discipline. The actor plays many roles, including his mother, a dance instructor, and most memorably, Robert, a skilled jockey who becomes his beloved mentor. If I had a suggestion, it would be that the earlier racetrack scenes feature too many men, and despite the actor’s skill in delineating the characters, it is still confusing. But this is a minor quibble relating to an unforgettable theatrical event.
He relates the dates of his races, which are all mid-nineteen seventies. Doing the math, Montano must be at least sixty. Standing still, he looks twenty years younger. When he moves, he seems forty years younger.
This was my return to theatergoing following a long bout with COVID-19 and its aftermath. What a wonderful welcome home.
Running Time: 85 minutes, with no intermission.
SMALL co-produced with the Penguin Theater at People’s Light and Theater through February 4, 2024, at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA. Tickets can be obtained at peopleslight.org or by calling 610-644-3500.