Museum tour becomes a wild adventure in American Theater Group’s ‘Destroying David’

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Jason Odell Williams wrote and stars in The American Theater Group’s production of “Destroying David.”

“I am not the typical tour guide,” says Jason Odell Williams’ character in “Destroying David.” “And this is not the typical tour.”

That is the understatement of the year.

Williams wrote this one-man play and stars in The American Theater Group’s production of it that opened at The DMK Black Box Theater at The Union Arts Center last weekend (in its East Coast premiere) and will be presented there again Oct. 15-18, before moving to The Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge, Oct. 23-25. In it, he plays an art restorer and amiable tour guide at The Galleria dell’ Accademia in Florence, giving a private tour that breaks all of the standard museum-tour expectations.

Not only does this tour guide spend the play’s 80 minutes focused on a single piece of art that he is obsessed with — Michelangelo’s “David” statue, which he describes as “arguably the greatest work of art ever created” — but he also devotes many of those 80 minutes to stories about his own life, and other digressions.

“Isn’t every work of art really a story about how it affects each of us uniquely?” this tour guide asks. Sure, I can see that.

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Jason Odell Williams in “Destroying David.”

But also, he admits, sheepishly, “I like to make things about me,” giving the impression that there may be some deeply personal issues there, in addition to his eagerness to share his enthusiasm for “David.” (Which we don’t actually see until the very late in the evening — not a problem, since it is such a well known work, and this strategy reinforces the idea that the marble sculpture is so iconic it doesn’t even need to be shown.)

In the course of the play, there are also philosophical musings, a hallucinated conversation with Michelangelo himself, and more. The tour guide frequently ventures into the rows of seats and asks those taking his tour — i.s., us audience members — to say “Hi, David” to the statue, share our personal favorite works of art, recite lines, do improvisational acting, and take a pop quiz. He describes the evening as a “curated adventure.”

His actions, in other words, bear as much resemblance to a typical museum tour as they do to The Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour.”

That said, there is some theatrical magic — and some theatrical mystery — in this production, which is directed by Charlotte Cohn. (Cohn took over as American Theater Group’s producing artistic director in June and gives an indication, perhaps, about her willingness to take chances, by picking this play). Even with all the detours, everything comes together nicely in the end, with the tour guide’s presentation building to a moving, inspirational statement about the power of all art, not just the “David,” to enhance life, and heal.

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Jason Odell Williams in “Destroying David.”

There are some very dark twists in the storytelling, though, that felt jarring in combination with the goofy quality of some of the humor. And I have to add that perhaps I would have enjoyed the play more if there wasn’t weren’t so much audience participation.

I simply don’t like audience participation. I’m not talking about audience members being asked to sing along, anonymously, from their seats, or something like that. I’m talking about when the performer puts audience members on the spot, and they have to respond in some way that is going to become the focus of attention for a moment, or more.

I don’t want to be asked to act like a Neanderthal — yes, the tour guide asked someone to do that — or even something easier to pull off. (The audience member did great as a Neanderthal on the night that I was there, by the way, but if Williams had called on me, I guarantee it would have been very uncomfortable for both me, and for the audience members who would have had to endure my performance.)

To make me sit there hoping that that person chosen to be a Neanderthal is not me, is not my idea of a good time. And there was a lot of audience participation — way too much, for my tastes — in this show.

The American Theater Group will present “Destroying David” at The DMK Black Box Theater at The Union Arts Center, Oct. 15-18, and at The Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge, Oct. 23-25. Visit americantheatergroup.org.

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