THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 25, 1994 TAG: 9407230029
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, THEATER CRITIC
LENGTH: Long : 116 lines
FINALLY, A MUSICAL that leaves you humming the tunes on your way out the door.
``Shenandoah,'' currently staged at Founders Inn Dinner Theater, is the story of a Virginia farmer who seeks in vain to keep his family uninvolved in the War between the States. It's one of the more melodic, and irresistible, musicals to surface from the modern theatrical world of ``nonmusical musicals.''
With operetta-like dramas (such as ``Les Miserables,'' ``Miss Saigon'' and such) dominating American musical theater, ``Shenandoah'' is a remarkable throwback to an era when music, as much as libretto, was used to tell the story.
When ``Shenandoah'' opened on Broadway in 1975, naysayers said it didn't have a chance in the pseudo-sophisticated New York theater scene that thumbed its collective nose at anything approaching down-to-earth country folk or, shudder, sentimentality. They were wrong.
``Shenandoah,'' grounded in Americana as firmly as a milk shake or a chocolate sundae, is a show for the people, and it would not be denied its audience. It even went on to win six Tony nominations and two awards (with the libretto even beating ``A Chorus Line'' that year).
Surely the most ambitious effort yet for Founders Inn Dinner Theater, ``Shenandoah'' is a BIG show. This presents problems that have not, and perhaps never can be, solved in this small playing space. A cast of 17 and a live orchestra work hard, but they are in cramped quarters to spin this sprawling yarn.
This dinner theater, which has quickly emerged as a major force on the local theater scene, has wisely stuck mainly to revue shows that required small casts, minimal scenery changes and intimate staging. ``Shenandoah'' requires multiple set changes and broad orchestrations. Scenic designer George Hillow works against the odds, and quite inventively, to solve the problem. Aided greatly by lighting designer Mark Wattlington and costumer Connie Hindmarsh, the show largely solves the visual challenges.
Most debilitating, though, is an overpowering sound system that depends upon microphones as if they were crutches. This has always been a notable, and unnecessary, disfigurement for this theater. In a playing space this small, actors should not need microphones at all. The 16-piece orchestra (housed in spaces above and behind the auditorium) is often amplified in a manner that all but dwarfs the singers. The singers, most of whom are armed with body microphones hidden in their costuming, still attempt to perform as if they didn't have microphones. The result can be rather overwrought.
Most distracting is that the sound comes from speakers on the side. The result is that we see actors' lips moving, but we hear the sound of their voices coming from another source. It's almost like one of those dubbed Japanese movies in which the lips don't quite move with the sound.
With that bit of troublesome mechanical business behind us, can we settle down to the mood of ``Shenandoah'' itself? This is a lovable, involving musical that is blessed by this production's primary attribute - the performance of David B. Springstead as Charlie Anderson, an independent, cantankerous Virginia widower. The role is associated with James Stewart (who played it in the original movie) and John Cullum (who won the Tony for it on Broadway).
Initially, Springstead looks too young to be the father of this extensive, and somewhat mature, brood, but we soon warm to his troubles. He wants only to hold his family and his farm together against the onslaught of Confederates and Unionists. When his youngest son is kidnapped by soldiers, he can no longer stay out of the battle.
The remainder of the cast gives him ample, if varying, support. Van M. Hughes and Anthony Wayne Green lend gusto and verve to ``Why Am I Me?'' - a song that poignantly questions racial differences. Kelly Klaers brings a pioneer perseverance to her role as Anne, a brother's wife. Garry Manasco, Bruce K. Hanson, J. Brian Deshazor and Matt Caplan are stalwart as the Anderson brothers. Erin-Leigh Magill, though, is too mincing to suggest the tomboyishness of the only girl in the brood - and regrettably nasal in her vocals. Double casting, needed for a cast this large, nets jarringly youthful ministers and other mis-cast bit parts.
The second act is burdened with too much plot. We rush through brutal moments, including murder, that counter the music and bring the audience, as well as the Anderson family, into the war.
The songs, though, are like little pearls strung on a string concocted by director Gary Spell. They are trotted out one by one - a multiplicity of pop-music styles in a score that attempts to touch all bases. ``Raise the Flag of Dixie'' is a stirring opener. ``I've Heard it all Before'' chronicles the widower's understandable cynicism about war. ``Next to Loving, I Like Fighting'' is a stirring dance number, meant to be in the verve of ``Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.'' ``Over the Hill'' has a country style, but is given more twang than needed. ``The Pickers Are Comin'' is a humorous touch as father bemoans losing his daughter to other men. ``The Only Home I Know'' is a lovely ballad. ``Freedom'' is an upbeat anthem.
Anamaria Martinez's choreography is spirited and firmly grounded in Broadway show dance stylings, but the cast is made up more of singers than dancers. They aren't up to it.
Moment for moment, this show has enough winning music for five such musicals. Add the poignancy of America's greatest historical conflict and the Virginia setting and you have an all-but-irresistible package. Director and cast work hard against the odds of staging it in these cramped quarters. ILLUSTRATION: Kelly Klaers explains the facts of married life to Erin-Leigh
Magill in ``Shenandoah'' at the Founders Inn Dinner Theater.
STAGE DIRECTIONS
What: ``Shenandoah,'' the Civil War musical
Who: Directed by Gary Spell, featuring David B. Springstead with
a cast of 17 plus live orchestra
Where: Founders Inn Dinner Theater, 5641 Indian River Road,
Virginia Beach
When: Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays (dinner at 6:30 p.m.,
curtain at 8:15 p.m.); Sundays (dinner at 5:30 p.m., curtain at 7:30
p.m.) Through Oct. 9.
How much: $31.95 for dinner and theater. For theater only: $17.95
on Sunday and Tuesday; $19.95 on Friday and Saturday. Discounts for
children, seniors and groups.
Tell me more: 366-5749
by CNB