STAGE REVIEW : Near’s Version of Family Values in ‘Fire in Rain’

You would have to have a heart of flint and the disposition of an ogre not to be charmed by singer-songwriter, gay and political activist Holly Near. Near’s solo outing, “Fire in the Rain . . . Singer in the Storm” at the Mark Taper Forum, is a loving and cajoling bit of unconventional autobiography that traipses lightly through the more positive aspects of the ‘60s, ‘70s and even ‘80s.

Seen at a press preview Wednesday, this show puts a different spin on the term family values . Near grew up in a family whose beliefs encompassed the acceptance of racial and gender equality and the freedom to choose in all things, including sexual orientation. As the daughter of “a poet and a radical” (an upper-crusty WASP and a labor organizer) who grew up with two sisters and a brother on a sprawling ranch in California’s Potter Valley, Near placed few limits on herself. The same can be said of her free-ranging solo at the Taper.

Directed by her sister, Timothy Near, conceived and developed by the two of them at Timothy’s San Jose Repertory Theatre, “Fire in the Rain . . .” roams all over the personal and political map of Holly Near’s life. It is gentle, generous, humorous and candid without becoming needlessly invasive.

Program notes from the director state that the developmental work continued at the Taper, and that “research for the production will probably never stop.” That’s good news. The show’s current mix--part concert, part conversation, part activism--is audience-friendly, but serious consideration should be given to losing the intermission and some 15 minutes of the corpus.

Near is a stronger performer than songwriter. This is demonstrated in the skill with which she delivers the songs written by other people (Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Rodgers and Hammerstein). As a child of the ‘60s and ‘70s, her own politically motivated lyrics can at times be simplistic.

An anthropological item such as the 1972 “No More Genocide” only feels patronizing. Do we really need to hear that genocide is bad in these days of Sarajevo and Somalia? A stricter limit on pop morality and a shorter selection from the ‘70s song bag wouldn’t hurt.

In contrast, more recent items, such as “Jesus Blues,” “Coming Home,” “Si Buscabas” (by Salvador Cardenal Barquero), the very personal “Simply Love” and the title song, “Singer in the Storm,” find us considerably moved.

Near’s storytelling, on the other hand, rarely wears out its welcome. It is consistently perceptive, taut, amusing and refreshingly unself-conscious. By filling in the details of her eventful 43 years, Near paints a rich and unconventional family portrait, filled with acceptance, commitment and adventure. Anyone who has followed the career or read the autobiography will find few surprises, but what the performance conveys better than words is the peace the singer has made with herself.

Beyond “the power and the danger of being a political artist,” and understanding “the difference between being a true activist and just being a liberal,” there is the deeper self-discovery and self-acceptance. “There is something so honorable about someone who wants to fix the world,” Near confides, “and something so arrogant about someone who wants to do it in her lifetime.”

Near paid a price for buying into that arrogance and most of the post-intermission stuff, which only gets stronger and stronger, is devoted to coming to terms with her inclinations and her limitations.

Kate Edmunds has designed a simple all-purpose set that makes room for Near’s trampoline and other small props, a trunk full of smart Marianna Elliott costumes, and the piano at which musical director-arranger John Bucchino provides accompaniment. Ambience comes in the form of huge projections, mostly of the idyllic family ranch and family snapshots, but also of some of the historic revolutions of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Together, sisters Holly and Timothy keep things simple, balanced and, above all, honest. It is this quality of truthfulness more than any other that permeates the show. If “Fire in the Rain . . .” sometimes feels like a throwback to a bygone era, it is because it is.

This may not be everybody’s nostalgia trip. But if it is, one could hardly find a better or more inviting traveling companion with whom to take it.

“Fire in the Rain ... Singer in the Storm,” Mark Taper Forum, Music Center, 135 N. Grand A ve. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Ends Sept. 27. $26-$32; (213) 365-3500, (714) 740-2000, TDD (213) 680-4017). Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes.

A Mark Taper presentation of a San Jose Repertory Theatre production, conceived and developed by Timothy and Holly Near. Director Timothy Near. Writer-performer Holly Near. Musical direction/keyboard arrangements/musician John Bucchino. Sets Kate Edmunds. Scenic projections Charles Rose. Lights Peter Maradudin. Costumes Marianna Elliott. Sound Jon Gottlieb. Production stage manager Nancy Harrington. Stage manager Tami Toon.