Barrington Stage Company Launches Fall Season
The World Goes Round by Kander and Ebb Opens in Pittsfield
By: Charles Giuliano - Oct 07, 2007
The World Goes Round
By John Kander and Fred Ebb
Conceived by Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman and David Thompson
Choreographed by Joshua Bergasse. Set by Ken Goldstein. Costumes by Elizabeth Flauto. Lighting by Stephen Arnold. Sound by Matthew M. Nielson.
Directed by Julianne Boyd
Starring: Kevin Duda, Angela Grovey, Bianca Morroquin, Andrea Rivette and Kurt Robbins. The Band: Brian Usifer, Peter Grimaldi, Bruce Krasin, Charlie Tokraz, Jeff Link, Jeff Roberts, Jeff Stevens
Barrington Stage Company. October 3 to 21
http://www.barringtonstageco.org
As spectacular, summer like weather continues into early October it adds emphasis to the pervasive discussion of a Shoulder Season in the Berkshires which traditionally ends with Labor Day Weekend. Truly fall is one of the most beautiful seasons in Western Massachusetts with temperate weather and colorful foliage.
The Barrington Stage Company which just completed its first full summer in a newly renovated theatre in downtown Pittsfield is moving forward in a commitment to present year-round productions. Julianne Boyd, the artistic director of BSC, announced that the company enjoyed a successful summer doubling its audience size and overall revenues from the previous year. Moving forward with that ambition, last night marked the debut of John Kander and Fred Ebb's "The World Goes Round" a lively musical revue which will extend through October 21. On November 7 "Fully Committed" a one man show by Becky Mode starring Vince Gatton and directed by Andrew Volkoff, returns to Barrington's stage for a run through November 18. Last February it sold out when it was produced at the nearby Berkshire Museum. Another Barrington hit returns from December 5 to 9 with "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" by Lanie Robertson starring Gail Nelson as the legendary jazz singer, Billie Holiday, with Danny Holgate and David Jackson on bass. While not yet year round Boyd is presenting nine months of theatre in Pittsfield.
The preference of BSC's artistic director is for musicals. The smash hit of the summer season was a stunning production of "West Side Story" but compared to that this revue of material culled from the Kander and Ebb hits "Cabaret" "Chicago" "New York, New York" "Funny Lady" and "Kiss of the Spiderwoman" seems thin and more like a Spartan Off Broadway production that a main stage extravaganza. It won the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical Revue when it opened (running for 400 Performances) at the Off-Broadway Westside Theatre in 1991. Perhaps the revue thrives in a more intimate, cabaret like setting but here it never seemed to fill the rather stark set and a large stage with platforms of steps on top of which were placed the competent and energetic five piece band. It seems to say something about the production values when the band is out of the pit and featured to help fill the stage. It isn't particularly theatrical to watch the musicians play their instruments but it does make the point that the emphasis is on the music.
The general problem of any revue based on a selection of songs and dances extracted from a musical is that there is little or no connective tissue in terms of plot and narrative. In a musical comedy the song and dance is related to the dramatic developments and that is what gives them relevance and punch. Here, for example, we have Kurt Robbins poignantly presenting "Mr. Cellophane" from "Chicago" but out of the context of the drama it is rather a non sequitur. Instead of exposing a troubled character we tend to wonder just what is wrong with this guy.
The direction and flow of this production proved to be episodic and patchy particularly in the first act. We really wanted to feel for Angela Karol Grovey a heavy set African American performer with a strong, churchy voice. She appears to have been cast as the designated belter but Grovey struggled to keep up with the demanding ensemble dance numbers. This was particularly evident during "The Rink" which had the cast cautiously moving about on roller skates. She was presented comically rolling off stage with a loud crash in the wings. But Grovey scored with moving versions of "World Goes Round" and "Maybe This Time."
Overall only a few of the selections proved to be compelling. Mostly they featured the remarkably gifted and charismatic Mexican/ American, double threat, singer and dancer, Bianca Marroquin. When she was featured the production sizzled. Her rendering of "Arthur in the Afternoon" combined sexy sizzle and a wonderful comic flair. She and Kevin Duda were paired for a terrific dance number "When It All Comes True" at the end of which they collapsed on the stage while the company performed "Pain" with crutches as props emphasizing the agonies of dancers.
Too often numbers were just flat such as "Ring Them Bells" which opened the second act. That was followed by a so so "Kiss of the Spider Woman" by Kurt. There were also some fun numbers such as the ensemble pieces "Money Money" "Sara Lee" which was literally a piece of cake and the mega hits "All That Jazz" and of course the finale of "New York, New York" which seems a bit odd in Pittsfield.
Give the cast credit for enormous energy and enthusiasm. But there were too many moments which never rose to the full potential of the material. The wonderful song "Cabaret" which was such a hit for Liza Minelli and Joel Grey was enervating as performed by Kevin Duda and Andrea Rivette. Too often in this revue the barn burners were more like brush fires.
But that may be me. The audience awarded the performers a standing ovation. And as one woman commented to me while exiting the theatre "That was the best show I have seen in years, and we see a lot of theatre in New York." So there.