Jazzy 'Side Man' opens at center stage

Warren Leight's Tony Award-winning show "Side Man" is about jazz musician Gene Glimmer and as his last name suggests, "Side Man" shines. The play opened Friday night at the Wells-Metz Theatre to a full house.\nGene, played by sophomore Josh Hambrock, is a well-intentioned musician who too often misses the mark. His passion for trumpet playing blinds him to his personal needs and the needs of his family. He's the type of man who was never meant to be a father or husband, but circumstance made him both.\nHambrock is flawless as the oblivious Gene, who is a sort of lovable screw-up. Hambrock makes Gene's feelings of confusion palpable as the music by which his character defines himself leaves him behind. \nGene's wife, Terry, played by senior Rachel Sickmeier, is a woman whose iron-willed stubbornness steals the show. \nTerry's tough talk and take-no-crap attitude bring a true sense of realism to the show.\nHer character, although amusing and endearing, ends up in ultimate despair -- a woman whose promise is destroyed by a destitute marriage and depression. She changes from a charming yet curt woman to a caustic, cantankerous alcoholic without her husband even noticing. As she claims toward the end of the show, she's "been dead for 30 years." \nSickmeier's crass yet comical performance is outstanding.\nClifford Glimmer, wonderfully played by graduate student Tom Conner, is famous for forcing his mother into labor the night she was supposed to see Frank Sinatra sing -- something she never lets him live down. \nClifford's birth sets the tone for his family life that follows; each member lives his or her life with every personal asset underappreciated and every flaw exaggerated. In fact, Clifford starts the show as an adult, asserting that the Glimmer family would have been better off if he had never been born. \nThe audience is privy to how his belief is far from the truth. Clifford, at age 10, stops his mother from committing suicide and single-handedly keeps his father from forgetting to eat and earn money. \nConner embodies Clifford in earnest; his character brings a heartwarming sense of hope and accomplishment to an embittered family.\nGene's ever-present clique of jazz musicians, played by sophomore Matt Thompson Gripe, graduate student Harper Jones and senior Tijideen Rowley, adds an interesting dimension to the show. The comedic presence of their eccentric characters and a waitress named Patsy, played by graduate student Dawn Thomas, puts the successes and struggles of the Glimmer family into perspective. \nWarren Leight's witty script is accented by fabulous acting in the case of this cast. \nThe Glimmer family's story, though sometimes tough to swallow, is one that should be seen by jazz junkies and novices alike. \n"Side Man" will run today through Feb. 10 at the Wells-Metz Theatre. Tickets are $13 to $16 and are available through the IU Auditorium and Ticketmaster. Student rush tickets are available the day of every performance. For more information, visit www.indiana.edu/~thtr.