Scottsdale Community Players' The 1940's Radio Hour at Stagebrush Theatre
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 7/28/00
(out of )Librettists, composers, and lyricists, take note: If you must create a musical revue, attempt to make it as strong, compelling, and entertaining as Walton Jones' The 1940's Radio Hour. Rarely does a book for a musical revue offer a variety of three dimensional characters, a myriad of subplots that are directly linked to the songs that each of the singers croon, and a balanced mix of comedy, romance, intrigue, and drama. And, after all of that, there's also a great list of 1940's songs and familiar jingles of the time, including "Black Magic," "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", and "I Got It Bad." Let this script be your template.
That said, opening night at the Scottsdale Community Players' seemed like it might fall victim to one of the potential pitfalls of the script. Set at a late December, 1942 broadcast of WOV's Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade, the script ingeniously though tumultuously interweaves the lives of the producer, singers, band, and crew with the songs of this second-tier radio show. The result is an offering with many different foci, usually occuring simultaneously. Director Jacque M. Collins needed to be able to expertly control the audience's eye, guiding them to each important, often pantomimed bit that establishes the flirtations, jealousies, aspirations, and heartbreaks that occur while the program proceeds. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and I wound up having to point out to my companion, who'd never seen the show before, many of the various engagements that went on behind the scenes. Some monologues were delivered too far upstage while other important bits were hidden by less important activities downstage. The show started very muddled, but the cast miraculously managed to fall into a solid pace and brought across much of the mood and message throughout the rest of the evening.
The ensemble is generally solid, though weaknesses exist. While looking and acting the part of unhappy featured signer Johnny Cantone, Bradley Burt's silkily smooth voice failed him in his higher register. Despite her beautiful voice for heartbroken singer Ann Collier, Jan Sanderson lacks even a hint of subtlety while mooning about the stage after Johnny. Belter Kathi Osborne gives great performances of her songs, but fell victim to Ms. Collins' weak direction, only allowed brief moments to let her diva character, Geneva Lee Browne, command the stage and situation. While doing great turns in song and dance, cutesy young couple Travis Mondesitt and Beth Reynolds lack requisite depth, choosing instead to make easier choices for their textually unchallenging characters.
Still, as each weakness finds balance in a performer's strength, some performers shine brightly. Perhaps the best part of the evening is Andi Watson as the sexy-though-dingy Ginger Brooks. While she doesn't do much to expand on the dumb blonde presentation, she takes control of the stage during her showstopping "Blues in the Night," kicking her sexiness into high gear, making that song and moment hers. Though the oldest draftee I've ever seen, Tony Frank does an excellent job both singing and wailing on his trumpet. As comedian and crooner-wannabe Neal Tilden, Cameron Roberts sings well and plays the stodginess of his character well. Frantically funny performances come from Jeremie McCubbin, T.J. Weltzien, and Perry Allen, while Bruce Halperin seems set to nail down every grumpy old man role that SCP wants to throw at him. The cast is also able to handle Ms. Reynold's period choreography.
Musical Director Doug Durant does a fine job conducting the onstage orchestra, and adding his own bits to the proceedings. Mr. Weltzien's set is once again impressive, carefully capturing every period detail while offering many levels for scenes to take place. Equally impressive are Michael J. Eddy's lighting, Timothy C. Slope's character-driven costumes, and David Temby's consistent sound design.
Perhaps the initial hesitations of the cast were opening night jitters, but once the show warms up, it becomes quite enjoyable. Be sure to keep peeking behind at the backstage intrigues, though, as those bits are often more interesting than the entertainment in front.
Production Details:
The 1940's Radio Hour by Walton
Jones
Scottsdale Community Players
Stagebrush Theatre, Scottsdale
(480) 990-7405
July 28 - August 6, 2000