Unlike most biographical musical revues, Back Home Again: On the Road with John Denver doesn’t include an actor who takes on the role of John Denver. As one discovers during the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s world premiere of the show, its unique approach doesn’t need to.
The show – set in the Rep’s intimate Stackner Cabaret—opens with a tape of Denver singing one of his songs. The darkened stage lightens to reveal two actors—one male, one female—who begin to hum along.
Immediately after the tune ends, the man introduces himself as Dan Wheetman, a longtime member of John Denver’s band. Wheetman talks about his life, including the fact that Denver was his neighbor in Aspen, Colo. Their families grew close as wives and kids were left behind during Denver’s worldwide concert tours. As the evening unfolds, Wheetman’s shares his perspective on Denver, the man and his music. Wheetman discloses some of his memories about Denver In between singing some of Denver’s greatest hits. However: this isn’t a strict autobiography; plenty of details about Denver’s life are omitted (such as details about Denver’s second marriage and his multiple arrests for driving while under the influence in his later years). As he makes clear from the beginning, the show is Wheetman’s personal tribute to a man who, during his lifetime, sold more albums than Elvis Presley. Denver seems to be part of the proceedings, as the singer’s round, boyish face and his trademark glasses are evident on numerous concert posters that adorn the stage’s back wall. Denver’s personality was so much a part of his music—since he often wrote songs about chapters in his own life—one can almost feel his presence. In the 1970s and 80s, during the peak of his popularity, Denver expanded his realm into films (including “Oh, God!” with George Burns) and TV specials. But there’s only scant mention of these things in the show. Instead, Wheetman focuses on their grueling concert schedule. Although playing the concerts was “far out,” as Wheetman says more than once, both he and Denver paid a heavy personal price their long absences from home. Portraying Wheetman is David Lutken, a tall, lanky actor who delighted Milwaukee audiences in 2014 with his own show, Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie. Here, he portrays the affable, laid-back Wheetman, a consummate musician who was never was too busy to jump on Denver’s tour bus (and later, Denver’s Lear jet). Lutken, who has Broadway credentials as well as several appearances with the New York City Opera, is an ideal choice for this assignment. With the assistance of Georgia-born singer Katie Deal, he takes the audience through “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Rocky Mountain High,” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” (Even some of Denver’s most avid fans may be surprised to learn that Denver wrote this song, which was made into a #1 hit by the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary.) Under the direction of Randal Myer, the onstage interactions between Lutken and Deal are precisely coordinated. But they come off as being completely blissful and easy-going. They also make good use of the small stage, never staying in one position for too long. The only change one might suggest for this new work is this: keep the focus on John Denver. During the evening, we are treated to some of the songs Wheetman wrote or performed. They’re okay, but that’s not what the audience has come to hear. Denver’s songs (of which more than 300 were recorded) have given the show’s authors a virtual treasure trove from which to select. As the boomer-based audience knows, Denver’s music ended when he died tragically in an experimental aircraft at age 53. In one of the show’s most touching moments, Wheetman reveals how he hears the news about the death of his old friend and boss. But the evening quickly recaptures its ebullient spirit. As Denver says in one of his lyrics, “you fill up my senses.” That’s the feeling audiences yearn to encounter when attending this show. And it works. During one of the production’s early performances, only slight prompting was required for the audience to join the actors in singing some of Denver’s hit tunes. A few delightfully unexpected moments surface during the two-hour performance. In an offbeat departure from Denver’s music, the duo has a lot of fun singing, “Johnny B. Goode.” It’s a nice break from Denver’s endless tributes to mountains, streams, forests, etc. Deal also entertains by doing some snappy clogging in one number; she strums a dulcimer in another. Lutken mostly sticks to the acoustic guitar, but he also picks up a banjo or a neck harness that holds a harmonica. The spoken parts of the show are not nearly as lyrical as the songs. “John taught me how to believe in your dreams,” Lutken says at one point in the show. One can imagine Denver doing just that, as he shared his love for the land and those closest to him with listeners around the world.
