'The Seat of Our Pants' Off-Broadway review — a wild adaptation of Wilder

Read our review of The Seat of Our Pants off Broadway, Ethan Lipton's new musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s classic 1942 play The Skin of Our Teeth.

Summary

• The Seat of Our Pants is a musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder's play The Skin of Our Teeth
• The show follows the Antrobus family as they survive through multiple catastrophes over thousands of years
• The show features a strong ensemble cast and an upbeat score by Ethan Lipton that enhances the story though it makes the show lengthy

As if the relevance of climate change, natural disasters, and war in Thornton Wilder’s 1942 play The Skin of Our Teeth might somehow escape a contemporary audience, Ethan Lipton’s new musicalized adaptation, The Seat of Our Pants, makes it clear. “We made it through the recession-pandemic-wildfire-oligarchy by the seat of our pants," one character says. "One more crisis like that, and then where will we be?”

For the Antrobus family, each crisis brings fear of the end of the world, and each survival — of an ice age, a great flood, a global war — brings hope to start over again. In this new musical, directed by Leigh Silverman, hope shines through in Lipton’s upbeat score, with songs that range from vaudevillian tunes to Western ballads to jazzy romps.

The onstage band also brings levity with its costumes: sweater vests to match the floral wallpaper in the Antrobus home, and gold-trimmed red vests in Act 2 to fit in with the Ancient and Honorable Order of Mammals convention.

The cast is an embarrassment of riches, with Shuler Hensley and Ruthie Ann Miles as Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus, Damon Daunno and Amina Faye as their children, and Micaela Diamond as Sabina, the family maid. Not to mention a whole ensemble of incredible vocalists who also playfully portray animals; the woolly mammoth and dinosaur are especially great.

It’s hard to pick a standout, but Diamond is fantastic as the fourth-wall-breaking maid who also serves as a temptress for Mr. Antrobus. She’s the audience’s guide through the wild and wacky world of Wilder’s play, commenting on its absurdity: “The author hasn’t decided whether it’s set back in the caves or in New Jersey today. And now some other guy’s added songs. Songs! Because that’s what it was missing.”

You know what? Maybe it was, because Daunno’s rock song about free will and Diamond’s 11 o'clock number about the joys of eating ice cream are delightful additions to a story about the trials of the human race. But adding songs (including at least one for each main character) to an already complete work, however enjoyable, makes this musical a lengthy endeavor. The curtain call was welcome by Act 3, and when a dance break kept going and going, I was terrified then relieved when Sabina said, “This dance goes on for 2, 3 hours at most… But on the upside, you are all allowed to go home now.”

As the show spans all of human history, perhaps its three acts are warranted, but it becomes a slog toward the end. Where Wilder’s Antrobuses barely made it through by the skin of their teeth, Lipton’s characters muddle forward on instinct and spontaneity. Survival, like theatregoing, can be exhausting — but we keep showing up, by the seat of our pants.

The Seat of Our Pants summary

This new musical, adapted with music and lyrics by Ethan Lipton, is based on Thornton Wilder’s 1942 play The Skin of Our Teeth, which follows the Antrobus family across human history. They endure an ice age, a biblical flood, and a world war. Published during World War II, the play was groundbreaking and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1943.

The characters embody archetypes of the human race: Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus echo Adam and Eve, their son Henry alludes to Cain, and their daughter Gladys represents the human capacity to endure.

Like the play, the musical unfolds in three acts: the Ice Age in suburban New Jersey, the Great Flood on the Atlantic City boardwalk, and the front lines of a world war.

What to expect at The Seat of Our Pants

The musical runs approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission between Acts 1 and 2. Familiarity with the source material is not necessary but could make for a more enjoyable experience of seeing how the adaptation compares. The stage features seating on two sides, with most of the action oriented toward the larger section. The production features strobe lights, haze, and loud sound effects.

What audiences are saying about The Seat of Our Pants

At the time of publication, The Seat of Our Pants has a rating of 63% on the audience review aggregator Show-Score, with theatregoers sharing mixed responses to the staging, musical numbers, and length.

• “This musical adaptation of Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth is every bit as wacky, messy, and rule-bending as the original work. I loved the songs and felt that the musical numbers actually fit pretty well among the mayhem of things on stage. The staging is an example of a great use of the space given, and the constant breaking of the fourth wall keeps audiences at a distance, providing a meta-feel to the proceedings. I will say that at almost 3 hours, the show does feel overlong (especially in the 3rd act), and the antics on stage do get tiresome at a certain point. But I recommend this if you like original theatre and experimental shows.” - Show-Score user GreatAvi
• “Despite great performances, this is really a 'why’ show—why shove musical numbers into an extended & experimental work? Also, sit in the main section, not in the back.” - Show-Score user Bobby Baby
• “Thornton Wilder's OTHER great play is ambitious but often confusing and difficult to stage. Adapting it to a coherent musical is truly ambitious, and not all of it works. But there are some memorable songs and great performances from Ruthie Ann Miles, Shuler Hensley, Andy Grotelusechen, Ally Bonino, and especially Micaela Diamond. For me, the moments of exhilaration made it worthwhile.” - Show-Score user Steve 3083
• “Total surprise—in a good way. I was unfamiliar with the source material, and I enjoyed the 'good' weirdness of it. [...] I found the themes of the piece relevant to our times and very moving. Agreed with another comment that changing up the wallpaper/covering between acts is clunky and laborious [...] But if you're game for something a bit shaggy and wacky and heartfelt, I highly recommend it.” - Show-Score user Julia 4124

Read more audience reviews of The Seat of Our Pants on Show-Score.

Who should see The Seat of Our Pants

• Fans of experimental theatre productions that blur the lines between the play and the audience will like The Seat of Our Pants. The meta-theatrical elements and fourth-wall-breaking moments are clever.
• Fans of Ethan Lipton’s music and theatrical works will enjoy this tuner. Lipton’s credits include We Are Your Robots, Tumacho, The Outer Space, Red-Handed Otter, No Place to Go, Luther, and 100 Aspects of the Moon.
• Theatregoers familiar with The Skin of Our Teeth will enjoy seeing the 84-year-old play in a new light. The songs add depth to the characters and bring joy to the story.

Learn more about The Seat of Our Pants off Broadway

The Seat of Our Pants is the Thornton Wilder adaptation we didn’t know we needed in the theatrical canon. Come with an open mind, brace for its length, and be dazzled by the stellar cast.

Learn more and get The Seat of Our Pants tickets on New York Theatre Guide. The Seat of Our Pants is at The Public Theater through December 7.

Photo credit: The Seat of Our Pants off Broadway. (Photos by Joan Marcus)