Review: Riveting new ‘Meet John Doe’ premieres in San Jose

Platitudes are nothing new in our societal milieu. Clichés, phrases and words of self-help advice have been heard plenty, but it’s when we hear them that makes the difference between standing down or taking action.

“John Doe” is not telling the radio-listening citizens anything revolutionary when bellowing baseball analogies like, “We can’t win the old ball game unless we have teamwork!” No matter how hackneyed or revolutionary the sentiment, amplification in the media, which frames how information is consumed, can be uplifting, yet dangerous.

The strength of San Jose Stage’s world premiere “Meet John Doe,” adapted from Robert Riskin’s original script that was turned into a 1941 Frank Capra movie starring Gary Cooper, is an all-star cast that unleashes a plethora of timely content creating fantastic food for thought. The show’s flow needs to tighten and will certainly do so over the course of the run, and the final moments of the play lack a conclusion that pops with certainty.

However, Kenneth Kelleher’s adaptation and strategic direction beautifully unifies the technical and narrative components, injecting the familiar story with something fresh.

Intrepid reporter Ann (Jennifer Le Blanc) is facing a firing from publisher D.B. Norton (Michael Storm), who wants a leaner newspaper with more bite. He sends in an editor, Connell (Norman Gee), to do his dirty work. Ann, in a fit of both pique and foresight, decides to ghost-write a final column by a fictional “John Doe,” a man so frustrated with the state of the country’s affairs that he plans to commit suicide by jumping off the roof of City Hall on Christmas Eve.

The column hits a nerve within the country’s psyche, and so a face to go with the Ann’s fake screed must be found. Enter job-seeking Long John Willoughby (Aldo Billingslea) who will be known as “John Doe” to the masses. He is a washed-up bush league pitcher, now tasked to espouse hope to a weary nation.

Ann’s vibrant pen gives John the words that provide a spark — through her voice, he finds his. Capra’s modus operandi, the elevation of the underdog and a lengthy, life-changing oration, settles in sharply in this production.

As John, Billingslea brings a righteousness to his interpretation, playing a variety of moments, both grand and subtle, with virtue. He creates complexity with alluring devotion. Notice his apologetic entry into a room of power brokers, the humor he builds as Ann suckers him into a rage-filled photo, or even the discovery of what his life has meant to the underdog. So much poignancy through devastation, with subtle hints of joy dashed throughout.

Le Blanc carves out gorgeous space for her Ann. Her bitterness travels through destruction and then despair, ultimately revealing how the love she finds within John was somewhat crafted from her quill.

The ensemble cast has many scintillating moments of their own. Gee delights as the gruff, managing editor Connell, doing wonders showing a softer side in a potent scene with Billingslea as they discuss patriotism. Popular San Jose Stage performer Keith Pinto paces a Capraesque speech with skillful, warm benevolence as head soda jerker Bert, revealing how the fabricated hero’s example inspired him and his friends to start a John Doe Club. Finally, character actor Julian López-Morillas provides a humor-filled, critical cynicism about the rabbit hole John is seduced into.

Kelleher’s commitment to stewarding a style of acting feels familiar for anyone who has taken in Capra’s idealism in films such as “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Someone like John Doe might have been an archetype for a Chauncey Gardiner, espousing wisdom that’s not his, but with a voice that every day citizens latch onto.

On one level, the piece is a timely tale of how corruption threatens honor and nobility.

On another, the story points to how a quixotic quest may lead one high and low to be relevant in a grizzled society, but finding love and giving respect is the true feat that heals a tortured soul.

David John Chávez is chair of the American Theatre Critics Association and served as a juror for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Twitter/Mastodon: @davidjchavez.