Musical revue pales in comparison to original shows

By Ricardo Baca
The Metropolitan

Screw the travel agents and their excessive fees.

The Country Dinner Playhouseās latest production can take you around the world for a fraction of that price.

From the dusty plains of Oklahoma to the pearly beaches of the South Pacific, Some Enchanted Evening will take you there.

Covering all of Rodgers and Hammersteinās favorites, this musical revue is carried out well but will leave you yawning at times.

You all have heard of songwriter Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein, and if you havenāt, you know the product of their collaborations.

Such lines as: ćIām as corny as Kansas in August,ä epitomize their clean, good natured approach to American musicals.

Their musicals: Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, The King and I, South Pacific and Carousel are said to be part of Americaās golden age of musicals. These classic, conservative musicals focus on childlike love and the joy of being alive and have the quality of bringing the audience to the showās locale.

So naturally, when the songs are taken out of the framework and placed into the sporadic revue, some of the  continuity is lost ÷ even for people familiar with the material.

When Randy St. Pierre sings ćSurrey With The Fringe On Topä from Oklahoma! while dressed in a cheesy tuxedo, all credibility is lost. The sole cowboy paraphernalia, his black cowboy hat, just didnāt do the job.

The six players take the stage and sing the innocent ballads and laments, often splitting into couples. The most captivating couple of the evening was St. Pierre and Maureen McHale-Dailey. Their long, heartfelt gazes and genuine smiles fit the songsā attitudes ideally.

McHale, who has been in over 50 productions at the Playhouse, crooned beautiful alto melodies and was a joy to listen to and watch. And St. Pierreās charm and wit carried him through the show with the smoothest of ease.

However, Jan Waterman was having everything but a smooth and grand opening night. During ćItās a Grand Night for Singing,ä she lost her bracelet as it slid off her wrist and across the stage, and two songs later she lost a clip-on earring the same way.

The Playhouse isnāt your typical theater. A big, red barn isnāt exactly the ideal setting to see a show. Especially when the acoustics are bad and the aroma of stale fish fills the room.

But the splendid technical side of the theater, a hydraulic stage that quietly lifts to the ceiling, was impressive and a fun twist to the evening, making scene changes smoother than a serene mountain lake.

But Some Enchanted Evening ends up just being a typical revue ÷ one that tries to rehash previously released and overdone material in a fresh and distinctive way.

And that, my friend, is impossible.