Keegan's Side Man Plays the Blue Notes

 By Tricia Olszewski

Special to The Washington Post

Wednesday, May 18, 2005; Page C10

A simple song request quickly establishes the tone of Warren Leight's semi-autobiographical drama "Side Man." Clifford, the son of a jazz trumpeter, is on his way to one of his father's shows, the first time he'll have seen his dad in a few years. But Clifford first checks in on his

mom, who in one breath curses her estranged husband and in the next urges Clifford to make sure his dad is eating, because in a recent dream of hers, "he looked dead."

 And Clifford should also be sure to have his father to play her favorite song: "Why Was I Born?" "I'll ask," Clifford deadpans.

 The semi-amused sourness behind this nihilistic question is a recurring theme in "Side Man," a Tony Award-winner currently being staged by Keegan Theatre. With Clifford (Chris Stezin) serving as narrator, Leight's play spans the 1950s, when Clifford's parents, Terry (Amy McWilliams) and Gene (Kevin Adams), met, to 1985, when the bohemian breeziness of the couple's early years has long since turned caustic.

 Both Clifford and Terry find themselves questioning their existence, and ironically the reason is that Gene never has questioned his. He knows exactly why he was born: to play music, even if it means living in poverty and treating his family like afterthoughts. Gene's dedication to jazz is implied throughout the first half of "Side Man" -- to ensure he has time to play, he puts more effort into figuring out ways to collect unemployment than into looking for a steady job, and his constant companions are the knockabout guys he performs with, vivid supporting

characters here played by Scott Graham, Eric Lucas and Mark Rhea.

 But in the second act, Leight eloquently shows the depths of Gene's obsession in a scene thatuses hardly any words: After a gig, Gene and the boys listen to a performance by Clifford Brown -- for whom the narrator was named -- taped the night Brown died. Director Leslie A.

Kobylinski lets the piece play in its entirety, with the rumpled musicians obviously tired but nevertheless entranced.

 Meanwhile, Terry and Clifford are waiting for Gene at home, but at this moment it's clear what comes first in his life.

 "Side Man" isn't two hours of misery, however. Leight cushions all the dolor with a fair dose of humor, whether it's Clifford's gentle sarcasm ("From what I understand, everyone was happy before I was born") or Terry's rancor, which McWilliams delivers with such extreme levels of shriekiness you can't help but laugh (one family dinner is served with a screeched, "Enjoy your macaroni, [expletive]s!"). The play's time-traveling also takes the edge off the clan's current bitterness, and McWilliams is able to win our sympathies for Terry by showing her to once have been a naive, cheerful young woman who fell in love with Gene's sound.

Stefan M. Gibson's set is part cozy club and part living room, with the characters seeming to be equally at home in either.

 In one flashback, Terry meets and then tries to walk away from Gene. "This isn't how it ends!" Clifford chastises. Terry shoots back, "It woulda been a lot easier!" Easier, maybe, though even with all the sadness in this story, "Side Man" gives you the impression that these folks wouldn't have played it any other way.

Side Man, by Warren Leight. Directed by Leslie A. Kobylinski. Lights, Dan Martin; costumes, Grant Kevin Lane. Approximately two hours. Through June 5 at Church Street Theater, 1742 Church St. NW. Call 703-527-6000 or visit http://www.keegantheatre.com/

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