Harold Hill. He still remembers every word and proved it!
The most stunning moment of the evening was a rendition of the famed “Soliloquy” from Carousel. First sung by John Raitt who created the role of Billy Bigelow, it is a rangy piece that is Billy’s hinge of fate as he works through the implications of becoming a father. He imagines a son and all the rough and tumble possibilities in the “My Boy Bill” sequence then realizes that he might be a she and contemplates “My Little Girl.” I heard John Raitt sing that song in that very same Curran Theatre when I was touring with him in Shenandoah back in the seventies. He was tremendous and could still pop out the B natural high note at the age of sixty-five. Hugh Jackman matches him musically and exceeds him dramatically. I hope his remake of Carousel, slated for 2013 as reported by Internet Movie Data Base (
IMDB.com), gets in front of the cameras. I can’t imagine this is the only date the show will play. I can easily see it as an HBO special, for example, and it will have to play LA where the money- men will see that a new Carousel might be a good investment. If it comes back to the Curran, take out a loan or tap the kids’ college fund and get an orchestra seat. You won’t regret it.
Curtains SOUTH VALLEY CIVIC THEATRE
T
he Bay Area is awash with Curtains! When I dropped in on the South Valley Civic Theatre’s production of the Kander and Ebb “musical whodunit,” I was already aware that Foothill College has sched-
uled a summer pro- duction and that The Western Stage has one slated for the fall. A quick googling showed that Diablo Theatre Company in the East Bay had had a late winter produc- tion and even Westmont High School in Campbell did it in March and more productions are popping up all over California. I fear we are oversat- urated with this show, as fine a property as it is.
Well why not? It
is a tuneful, clever show with lots of quirky characters to fire the imagina- tions of community actors. The music is serviceable, if derivative, and there are abundant opportunities for singers to croon and dancers to shake a leg.
In 1959, a Boston tryout of a west- ern-style musical bound for Broadway called “Robbin Hood” is a mess with an inept leading lady (briefly and effective- ly rendered by Christine McElroy) who is promptly and surreptitiously murdered by poison. A stage struck bachelor cop named Lt. Frank Cioffi (a charming Rob Christopher), sequesters the theatre and investigates a houseful of show biz types. He instantly goes gaga over bit player and understudy Niki (Mary Beth Anderson). The sub- plot of the on again/off again love affair between the composer (the well sung Leslie Lamcke) and lyricist (Roberta Vinkhuyzen Rasmussen) provides
romantic conflict and more murders propel the plot.
Some gems among the supporting cast include a glowing, squeaky-voiced Megan Griffin as an ambitious chorus girl named “Bambi” who is a trial to her powerhouse mother, the producer Carmen Bernstein (Julie Masterson, who calls to a mind a tough Margaret Dumont). Chris Souza is appropriately swishy and affected as the cat-clutching director Christopher Belling. Aaron Nasser (who drew my attention in the Odyssey Theatre production of the Vaclav Havel play The Memorandum last year) shows he has some musical chops as leading man Bobby Pepper.
The valiant house band was thin and brass heavy, but kept pace with crisp drumming by Tim Duffy, fine key- boarding by Marilyn Guerrin and jazzy licks by trumpeters Mark Bishop, Peder Eriksson and Steve Johnson.
Out & About • June 2011 47
GEORGIA (ROBERTA VINKHUYZEN RASMUSSEN), BAMBI (MEGAN GRIFFIN) AND NIKI (MARY BETH ANDERSON) PADDLE DOWNSTREAM IN THE SONG “INTHE SAME BOAT” IN SVCT’S CURTAINS. PHOTO: KATHY TOM
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