Tom Lehrer is hilariously satirical. Imagine the offspring of Weird Al and Michael Moore, and you've got an idea. His songs, which were written in the 50s and 60s, an era of enormous political, international, and racial turmoil (as opposed to today's loving and more peaceful times), lampoon everything from race relations to nuclear holocaust. The collection of these songs, Tomfoolery, proves to be offensive only to those who cannot laugh at themselves, which seems to be an increasing number of people every day. One would imagine that this show directed by the funny and talented Ben Tyler, following his rousing success with Desert Foothills Theatre and The Wallace and Ladmo Show, would be a laugh-fest. Unfortunately, by raising the bar as high as he did with his last show, he has set up his audience for a fall with this woefully miscast, awfully produced songspiel.
I suggest a rule that without a quorum of bearable singers, a musical will not be mounted. That would spare the painful renditions of such ordinarily funny songs as "Pollution," "Bright College Days," "She's My Girl," and "Wernher Von Braun" from being inflicted on an unsuspecting populace. Whether it is off-pitch singing, inaudible voices, dropped lines, awkward dancing, or a surprising combination of all these things, a large part of the audience's evening is spent wincing rather than guffawing. That's not to say there aren't enjoyable moments or credible performances, but to discover them means to sit through a lot of mediocrity and wretchedness. No doubt Mr. Tyler did not intend for the long segments of slow pacing, and Musical Director Gavin McLeod did not wish for the odd musical tempos set by his amateur singers, but the opening night saw these two failed by their cast.
Poor John Rich, Dee Rich, and Debra M. Qualtire, the best things in a generally gloomy offering. Mr. Rich has a rich bass voice and good comic timing that makes songs like "I Got It From Agnes" and "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" enjoyable The latter song is sung with Ms. Qualtire, who is the strongest-voiced and broadest performer on the stage. She also does a great job with "Old Mexico" and "The Masochism Tango." Ms. Rich has a very pleasant voice, if a little hesitant, and she must be commended on her presentations of the nearly impossible song "The Elements" (although her inclusion of the British pronunciation of iodine, here sung as "i-oh-deen" is odd) and her duet with Mr. Rich, "When You're Old and Gray."
Roy Hunt and Ashleigh Hunt are not awful. Mr. Hunt does add a lot of enthusiasm and some acceptable singing. Ms. Hunt has a pretty voice, though her projection skills are sadly lacking, and she drifts through Hilary Hirsch's uninspired choreography like a narcoleptic. Ms. Hirsch's performance is as uninspired as her choreography.
It is Glenn Parker and Marcia Lefkowitz who really murder this evening. Am I the only person in this town who thinks it's time for Mr. Parker to stop being cast in musicals? Sadly, it seems so. Here, he has been directed by Mr. Tyler to speak-sing some of his numbers, but even this can't help. Ms. Lefkowitz, though, isn't just untalented; she's also a butcher. What she does to "The Irish Ballad" is criminal, as she wails, transposes lines and verses, and all the while mugs like a silent movie has-been. Mr. DeMille is dead, no closeup for you.
The orchestra seems like they're trying their best, yet they're always at odds with the singers. I have a hunch whose fault that is. Matt Marich's unit set is appropriate, and his costumes are sometimes funny. Aaron Severton's lighting and sound design is acceptable.
One can only hope that this production is an aberration, and that Desert Foothills will return to the high level set by Wallace and Ladmo. Things seemed headed in the right direction before this disastrous detour. See this show only if you live nearby, or if "The Masochism Tango" is your anthem.
Production Details:
Tomfoolery The songs of Tom Lehrer.
Desert Foothills Theatre
Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center, Cave Creek
(480) 488-1981
November 2nd - 19th, 2000