Our political landscape has become so toxic that, as hints of more revelations from Robert Mueller kept surfacing, I began to sing refrains from Meredith Willson's 1951 hit song ("It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas") and a pop song made famous by Andy Williams in 1963 ("It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year").
Acutely aware of the need to sell tickets for performances during the holiday crush, regional and community theatre companies are producing shows that don't necessarily have a tie-in to Christmas (the San Francisco Playhouse's production of Mary Poppins) or are determined to take down a lot of patriarchal traditions associated with Christmas and Christianity (Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce) by replacing them with a diversity of perversity.
The ability to take a well-worn trope and transform it into a warm and cozy holiday chestnut can yield pleasurable rewards. Consider the fable of the ingénue who is called upon to replace a leading lady in an emergency. This actually happened to Shirley MacLaine, who was understudying the role of Gladys Hotchkiss in The Pajama Game when Carol Haney broke her ankle in 1954.
Barely a month after the show had opened at the St. James Theatre, MacLaine arrived at the stage door just in time to get into Haney's costume before the show began. As luck would have it, the powerful Hollywood film producer, Hal Wallis, was in the audience. He liked what he saw, signed MacLaine to a contract with Paramount Pictures, and the rest is history.
A classic of American cinema, 1950's All About Eve starred Bette Davis as the beloved Broadway star, Margo Channing, who gave a break to the young, ambitious, and extremely manipulative Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). The film won the 1951 Academy Award for Best Picture and, in 1970, the story was reborn as a Broadway musical starring Lauren Bacall as Margo Channing. When Bacall's contract ended, Anne Baxter stepped into the role and headlined the cast of Applause.
The most famous story in this genre is Busby Berkeley's 1933 hit, 42nd Street, in which Ruby Keeler's character is told by director Julian Marsh "You're going out a youngster but you've got to come back a star!" The indisposed leading lady, Dorothy Brock, subsequently tells the ingénue "Now go out there and be so swell that you'll make me hate you!" In 1980, Gower Champion's stage adaptation of 42nd Street had its Broadway premiere on the same day that the famed director-choreographer died. The musical has since become popular on stages around the world.
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The cheeky optimism of Busby Berkeley's musicals from the period of The Great Depression was a tonic for the times. It also proved to be an invaluable source of satire for the creative team behind Dames At Sea, a tiny little musical spoof that debuted Off-Off-Broadway in 1966. I was lucky enough to see the production (starring a young Bernadette Peters just six years after she had appeared as Dainty June opposite Betty Hutton in the second national touring company of Gypsy) following the show's transfer to the Theatre de Lys. |
| Chaz Feuerstine (Lucky), Keith Pinto (Captain), and Jeffrey Scott Parsons (Dick) in a scene from Dames At Sea (Photo by: Ben Krantz Studio) |
There was a great deal to love about that production, and not all of it was about Bernadette. Obviously unable to match Busy Berkeley's expansive production numbers, Dames At Sea featured a two-piano orchestration, a cast of six, and a wealth of imagination determined to send up the original 1933 film in a true labor of love. Some of the results were hysterically funny (especially the "Raining In My Heart" mini-production number). Built on a minimal budget, the entire show glowed with a cheeky, yet deeply affectionate passion for the style of the original.
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| Chaz Feuerstine (Lucky), Melissa WolfKlain (Joan), Lauren Meyer (Ruby), and Jeffrey Scott Parsons (Dick) in a scene from Dames At Sea (Photo by: Ben Krantz Studio) |
Since then, there has been a made-for-television version of Dames At Sea (starring Ann Miller, Ann-Margret, Harvey Evans, Anne Meara, Dick Shawn, and Fred Gwynne) that failed to capture the wide-eyed spirit of the original stage version. The same fate befell a production staged at the Marines Memorial Theatre several years ago here in San Francisco.
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| Chaz Feuerstine (Lucky) and Jeffrey Scott Parsons (Dick) in a scene from Dames At Sea (Photo by: Ben Krantz Studio) |
The folks at 42nd Street Moon recently staged Dames At Sea with Dave Dobrusky and Ken Brill performing the show's original two-piano arrangement in a production directed and choreographed by Nicole Helfer with a great deal of spunk and humor. With a simple but highly effective set designed by Brian Watson, costumes by Ashley Garlick, and lighting by Michael Palumbo it was hard to believe that Dames At Sea, with book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller and music by Jim Wise could be more than 50 years old!
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| Ashley Cowl (Mona) remembers the lusty joys of Pensacola in a scene from Dames At Sea (Photo by: Ben Krantz Studio) |
The score of Dames At Sea is filled with delicious spoofs of musical numbers made famous on the silver screen. From "That Mister Man of Mine," "Choo-Choo Honeymoon," and "The Beguine" to "Good Times Are Here To Stay," "Singapore Sue," and "The Echo Waltz," the songs seem remarkably fresh while retaining a sweet sense of campy nostalgia.
What really makes this production shine is its indefatigable cast, which handles the broad comedy, tap dancing, and songs with stamina and great spirit. Lauren Meyer stars as Ruby (the girl who arrives in New York from Utah with nothing but a pair of tap shoes in her suitcase and the desire to become a Broadway star). She soon meets Joan (Melissa WolfKlain), the wise-cracking sadder-but-wiser hoofer who has been in an on-again, off-again relationship with Lucky (Chaz Feuerstine), a lovably goofy type.
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| Melissa WolfKlain (Joan) in a scene from Dames At Sea (Photo by: Ben Krantz Studio) |
Keith Pinto doubles as Hennesey (the producer who is determined to put on a show, even as a wrecking ball threatens to demolish the theatre) and The Captain, a stalwart member of the United States Navy who has never recovered from his lusty adventures with the sultry Mona (Ashley Cowl).
In addition to Mona's diva-like shenanigans, Joan's pragmatic approach to problem solving, and Lucky's undeniable appeal, much of the production gets its glow from the performance of Jeffrey Scott Parsons as the aspiring young songwriter named Dick (rest assured there are some slyly tacit Dick jokes in the show).
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| Jeffrey Scott Parsons (Dick) and Lauren Meyer (Ruby) in a scene from Dames At Sea (Photo by: Ben Krantz Studio) |
Performances of Dames At Sea continue through December 16 at the Gateway Theatre (click here for tickets). Here's the trailer:
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Overnight stardom may be a classic show business trope, but one that has lasted much longer is the desire for immortality. Based on a classic German legend attributed to Johanna Georg Faust (1480-1540), the desire to remain forever youthful has shown up in many cultural forms.Many stories revolve around a so-called Faustian bargain in which a person sells his soul to the Devil (Charles Gounod's 1859 opera, Faust; Arrigo Boito's 1868 opera, Mefistofele; Ferruccio Busoni's 1925 opera, Doktor Faust; and 1955's hit musical, Damn Yankees). Others involve magic spells (Lerner & Loewe's 1947 musical, Brigadoon), mysterious secrets (Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel entitled The Picture of Dorian Gray), secret potions (1992's Death Becomes Her), and recipes that include fresh placenta (2004's Hong Kong horror film entitled Dumplings).
The famous Spanish conquistador and first Governor of Puerto Rico, Juan Ponce de León (1474-1521), was searching for the legendary Fountain of Youth when he first landed on the shores of Florida in 1513. In Leoš Janácek’s 1926 opera, The Makropulos Affair (which is based on a 1922 play by Karel Čapek), the 337-year-old Emilia Marty is tired of living and no longer scared of dying. In 1985's Cocoon, members of a senior community in Florida receive an unexpected gift from space aliens who have strayed far from their course.
But what about people who never sought immortality and achieved it quite by accident? For its holiday show, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is presenting the regional premiere of Tuck Everlasting, a musical adaptation of Natalie Babbitt's 1975 novel. The first film version of Tuck Everlasting was released in 1981 but did not gain traction. In 2002, Walt Disney Pictures released its own version of Tuck Everlasting, with a cast headed by Ben Kingsley, Sissy Spacek, Amy Irving, Victor Garber, Jonathan Jackson, Scott Bairstow, William Hurt, and Alexis Bledel.
With a book by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, the musical has a curious history which started at TheatreWorks and has now come full circle. As the company's artistic director, Robert Kelley, explains:
“Tuck Everlasting the musical began life at TheatreWorks in 2010. Composer Chris Miller and lyricist Nathan Tysen joined our annual Writers’ Retreat with a special project -- a new musical. They wrote two captivating songs that week (‘Top of the World’ and ‘My Most Beautiful Day’) and shared them with a room full of entranced TheatreWorks supporters. That workshop launched the show on a journey to Broadway. I saw Tuck at Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre in 2016. The music was astonishing, full of country guitars and backwoods energy. When I heard the pivotal song 'The Wheel,' the inspiring truth of Tuck Everlasting overwhelmed me. I knew it would bring the joy and light of the holidays to TheatreWorks.”
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| Eddie Grey, Kristine Reese, Travis Leland, and Jonathan Rhys Williams in a scene from Tuck Everlasting (Photo by: Ben Krantz Studio) |
“Focused on young, spirited Winnie Foster, the story is tender and captivating, even the lemon-hued villain is hilarious. Tuck asks us to consider life as a whole -- birth and death, good and evil, love and family -- and determine its value. Many religions accept the progress of life, while postulating an everlasting future in heaven, in paradise, in rebirth. But what if you could live forever in the present? Endless excitement and opportunity or merely endless repetition? As we contemplate this season of joy and fulfillment, it is a choice full of both possibility and question. What would you choose?”
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| Katie Maupin as Winnie in a scene from Tuck Everlasting (Photo by: Kevin Berne) |
Tuck Everlasting's 2015 world premiere at the 770-seat Alliance Theatre in Atlanta coincided with the 40th anniversary of the publication of Babbitt's novel. Word of mouth about the show indicated that it was a true labor of love. Although the Broadway production was nominated for several Tony Awards, the competition (Hamilton) was too fierce. Tuck Everlasting closed after only 39 performances. Thankfully, the original cast album can be heard on YouTube.
Although Tuck Everlasting failed on Broadway, it has found new life in high school and community theatre productions. What sets the TheatreWorks production apart from others is its roots with the company, Kelley's devotion to the project, and his ability to bring the full resources of a major regional theatre company to bear on staging this tender show in the intimate confines of the 380-seat Lucie Stern Theatre.
Directed by Kelley on a set designed by Joe Ragey (with costumes by Fumiko Bielefeldt, lighting by Pamila Z. Gray, and sound design by Jeff Mockus), the TheatreWorks production benefits from Alex Perez's choreography and John Clancy's orchestrations. Since the key character of Winnie Foster is played by a young girl, two actors alternate in the role (at the performance I attended, Katie Maupin did a splendid job).
Teressa Foss was appropriately stern as Winnie's newly-widowed mother, while Lucinda Hitchcock Cone drew more laughs as Nana (Winnie's tart-tongued grandmother). Other mortals include Constable Joe (Colin Thomson), his geeky son, Hugo (David Crane), and The Man in the Yellow Suit (Michael Gene Sullivan), a carnival barker who has been trying to find the secret spring which has blessed (or cursed) the Tuck family with immortality.
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| Michael Gene Sullivan is The Man in the Yellow Suit in Tuck Everlasting (Photo by: Ben Krantz Studio) |
Because they do not age, the Tucks have to split up and roam the land on their own, reuniting every ten years in Treegap until circumstances force them to move on again. The member of the family who drives most of the plot is Jesse Tuck (Eddie Grey), who has been 17 years old for at least a hundred years yet retains the boyish spontaneity of a teenager with precious little self control. Jesse is constantly doing stupid things and getting himself in trouble. Shortly after meeting Winnie near the spring, he accidentally blurts out the secret of the spring's water. As a result, the Tucks kidnap Winnie and take her to their cabin in the woods.
Jesse's mother, Mae (Kristine Reese) is terrified about what might happen if the family is discovered, yet equally aware of how worried Winnie's mother must be for the safety of her daughter. Jesse's older brother, Miles (Travis Leland), is not surprised to learn that Jesse has screwed things up (as always). Their father, Angus (Jonathan Rhys Williams), is reluctant to get into an argument with his wife and, as usual, decides to go fishing.
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| Jonathan Rhys Williams (Angus) and Katie Maupin (Winnie) in a scene from Tuck Everlasting (Photo by: Ben Krantz Studio) |
The show's score is sweet and functional, although not likely to land any earworms in the audience. However, I did enjoy Jesse's “Top of the World,” Constable Joe's “You Can’t Trust A Man,” and “Hugo’s First Case,” as well as “Partner in Crime,” “Seventeen,” and “Everlasting.”
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| Colin Thompson (Constable Joe) and David Crane (Hugo) in a scene from Tuck Everlasting (Photo by: Ben Krantz Studio) |
Like Jason Robert Brown's short-lived musical, The Bridges of Madison County (which Kelley staged at TheatreWorks in April), Tuck Everlasting has a singular set of charms that set it apart from more commercially viable shows. While it may not fit into the usual lineup of end-of-year holiday musicals, it has a country kind of score (like 2015's Bright Star) which slowly works its magic on an audience.
Michael Gene Sullivan was perfectly at home in the character of The Man in the Yellow Suit, overacting with zeal and practically foaming at the mouth at the thought of striking it rich by bottling and selling the magic spring water. I especially enjoyed the strong character work by David Crane and Lucinda Hitchcock Cone. However, the show really rests on the shoulders of Winnie and Jesse, who received warm and glowing characterizations from Katie Maupin and Eddie Grey. Travis Leland scored nicely during the scene in which Miles explains to Winnie how his immortality caused him to lose his wife and son.
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| Kristine Reese (Mae) and Jonathan Rhys Williams (Angus) in a scene from Tuck Everlasting (Photo by: Ben Krantz Studio) |
What Tuck Everlasting accomplishes (that so many musicals don't) is deceptively simple: it makes audiences genuinely care about the characters onstage. At a time when many people long for signs of empathy and humanity as well as signs of "peace on earth and good will toward men," that's a rare treat for me. Performances continue through December 30 at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto (click here for tickets).
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