Country stars carry a lot of baggage in FST musical ‘Troubadour’

There’s a sweet and tender story at the heart of the new musical “Troubadour” that closes Florida Studio Theatre’s mainstage season, but it becomes confusing and unfocused as the creators try to tell too many stories without clear resolution or purpose.

The musical, which had its premiere in 2017 at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, has a book by Janece Shaffer set to some touching and catchy songs by Kristian Bush, one half of the country duo Sugarland.

“Troubadour” is set in the 1950s with a story sparked by the pending retirement of singer Billy Mason, the biggest star in Nashville, and the potential for his only son, Joe, a backup singer and guitarist, to take his place and launch his own path in the country music world.

Played by Scott Wakefield with appealing rugged confidence and maturity, as well as a rich voice that makes you believe he has been a star for decades, Billy is also a narcissistic jerk. He may have become popular singing songs of faith and family and had a hit with the ballad “Father to the Son,” but he appears to go out of his way to knock Joe down at every opportunity. Whether he worries that Joe, played by Caleb Adams, doesn’t have the necessary talent or that the son might outshine the father, isn’t clear. And the show waits too long to give us a sense of his chances for success.

There are several interwoven side stories, including one about the Russian Jewish tailor named Izzy Weiss (played by Sheffield Chastain) who sets his sights on becoming Joe’s manager and helping him stand out in the distinctive brightly colored, fringed and rhinestone outfits he designs.

Chastain broadly plays Izzy as both comically entertaining and an irritating bully determined to make his dreams come true, even if he doesn’t really know the country music scene. He does see that Joe needs a boost of confidence.

There’s also Inez Miller (Sarah Colt), a would-be songwriter even shyer than Joe, who has been writing songs for him long before they met, though we never get to hear any of them. Joe is repeatedly told to find his voice and views in his own songs. But Colt has a nice awkward charm that makes her seem a good match for Joe.

And one last story element involves a young woman played by Deanna Ott who meets Joe through a talent contest (her character doesn’t seem to have any besides looks), but she doesn’t serve a clear purpose to further the story or our appreciation of the characters.

The stories are sort of tied together by the radio DJ Pooch Johnson (played by Kevin Bernard as a down-home good ol’ boy), a longtime friend to Billy who encourages him to give Joe a chance. Bernard plays the role with energy but many of his scenes seem superfluous.

All of these characters and plot lines don’t interweave naturally amid more than a dozen songs by Bush that are pleasing but don’t take flight. They are often played softly by a singer and an acoustic guitar, while a three-piece band led by music director Darren Server provides gentle backup support.

It is only after the cast takes its bows that the band gets to show off what it can do with the rousing “God Made Rhinestones” (so we can shine), which is the musical high point. It sends the audience out with a rush of excitement that would have been good to feel earlier on and allow us to really see Joe’s talent. Adams conveys a sense of holding back his possibilities to defer to his father, but he has a warm voice.

Director Kate Alexander does well with the characters, but the show doesn’t move as seamlessly as it could, in part because of all the pieces on the attractive set by Isabel A. and Moriah Curley-Clay. They provide lots of hidden surprises and shifts, but many of them require numerous stagehands moving pieces on and off the stage, and rather than having some scenes end or begin during the changeovers, we watch as they happen, adding to an already lengthy running time of more than 2 1/2 hours.

Kathleen Geldard’s costumes fit the period, and she gives us a shimmery preview of the look that some country stars will adopt over the years, with sparkly appliques and fringe. They provide some kitschy window dressing for a show that overreaches when a simpler, more streamlined approach might make it more engaging.

‘Troubadour’

Songs by Kristian Bush, book by Janece Shaffer. Directed by Kate Alexander. Reviewed April 5. Through May 19, Florida Studio Theatre Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St., Sarasota. $39-$59. 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: ‘Troubadour’ sings an over packed story at Florida Studio Theatre