Pioneer Press

October 12, 2011

By Dorothy Andries

 

Rodgers & Hart celebration will have you singing

 

Rodgers & Hart wrote 550 songs together. They are staples of the Great American Song Book, cherished by every chanteuse who hops up on a grand piano and every piano man who ever played in a cocktail bar. “Blue Moon,” “Falling in Love with Love,” “Isn’t It Romantic,” “Manhattan,” “This Can’t be Love,” “My Heart Stood Still” — the list is virtually endless.

 

Light Opera Works is presenting a celebration of the work of that peerless team on its second stage at the McGaw YMCA Children’s Center in Evanston through Nov. 6. The six member cast, Amy Brophy, Tiffany Desmond, Bethany Thomas, David Geinosky, Jon Landvick and Rob Riddle, perform as an ensemble, as trios, as couples, and as soloists, under the direction of Rudy Hogenmiller, Light Opera Works’ artistic director. Music direction is by Linda Slein.

 

Hogenmiller plays it straight, without any attempt to either recreate or obliterate the time frame of 1919 to 1943, when Rodgers & Hart worked magic together. Brophy and Geinosky have a few little Fred and Ginger moments, and a throwback to the days of vaudeville is deftly woven into the show. Mainly, however, the cast members present those amazing songs in an ever-changing atmosphere. Thomas gives an explosive performance of “Lady is a Tramp,” Landvick’s expansive tenor is perfect for “With a Song in My Heart,” and just a touch of humor concludes Riddle’s rendition of that haunting “Where or When.”

 

“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” from the Broadway show “Pal Joey,” is sung by the women using what were called radio lyrics, sanitized from their racy original. Desmond renders an exquisite “Little Girl Blue,” and Brophy’s “Ten Cents a Dance” is a miniature drama, giving us a glimpse of the tired young woman in the smoke-filled dance parlor. For that brief moment the show becomes a cabaret.

 

The evening is presented in two acts, and at the opening of the second there are comical presentations of travel songs, including “A Great Big Town,” which salutes Chicago. The entire ensemble also assembled for a touching rendition of “My Funny Valentine.”

 

Those who are more familiar with the songs of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II will find many of Hart’s lyrics far more acerbic than Hammerstein’s. During the show the performers speak of Hart’s personal demons, his descent into alcoholism and early death at the age of 48.

 

The theater at the McGaw YMCA Children’s Center has only 250 seats. The singers wore body microphones, which made many of the numbers very shrill. Are microphones really necessary in such a small house?

 

Still, the songs were lovely, the show was spirited and, to no one’s surprise, you could actually walk out of the theater singing.

 

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Chicago Stage Style

October 10, 2011

By Larry Bommer

 

Highly Recommended

 

Rodgers & Hart: A Celebration

 

Before Rodgers and Hammerstein achieved their morning to evening glory from 1943 to 1959 (or from “Oklahoma!” to “The Sound of Music”), there was a very different duo--Rodgers and Hart—from 1919 (when Rodgers was only a teenager!) to 1943. They lasted and prospered, holding their own with the great likes of Herbert, Porter, Kern, Berlin, Cohan, and the Gershwins--until Hart drank himself to death in the year of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s inaugural hit.

 

The 550 songs of their rocky partnership were, given Rodgers’ notes, effortlessly tuneful and graceful to glowing. But the lyrics delivered by the melancholy Hart--short, sardonic, and lovelessly gay--could not have contrasted more completely. His sad but true treatment shared none of the “cockeyed optimism” of Oscar Hammerstein II’s “enchanted evenings.” Rodgers and Hart’s sound of music—and sense of life--was dramatically different.

 

So for Light Opera Works to bill Richard Lewine and John Fearnley’s respectful retrospective revue as “Rodgers & Hart: A Celebration” seems as bittersweet as the musical itself. Hart was more into contemplation than celebration. He could receive a lovely, lilting Rodgers’ melody and undermine it with the cynical undertow of “Falling in Love With Love.” That anthem of self-deception ends with “I fell in love with love--but love fell out with me.” Only Rodgers’ soaring waltz can lift it beyond its deflationary verse. But, looking back on the likes of their movie musicals, and even more so such Broadway delights as “Pal Joey,” “Babes in Arms, “The Boys from Syracuse,” “By Jupiter,” and “I Married an Angel,” there’s plenty to celebrate.

 

It’s not just the classics like Chevalier’s signature “Mimi,” “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” (here sung very slowly in haunting harmony), the catalogue of Cupid’s crimes called “I Wish I Were in Love Again,” the cozy “There’s A Small Hotel,” the strangely written “The Lady is a Tramp,” and the ravishing rhetorical question of “Isn’t It Romantic.” It’s the lesser delights, like the theme song “Jupiter Forbid,” the jaunty Roaring 20s number “The Girl Friend” or the Carmen Miranda homage “She Could Shake the Maracas” that make you realize how hit-and-miss showbiz fame can get. Were there songs, you wonder, that accidentally never made it but that we should be humming today?

 

The “celebration” also offers wonderful inside stories, like how Rodgers forced Hart to make a deadline. There’s the dirt about the original—and terrible—lyrics that Hart wrote for the radiant wonder that became “Blue Moon.” Suffice it to say that it was called “Oh Lord” and was a silly hymn to meeting Hollywood stars on their home turf.  Though sometimes intrusive, the cast’s commentary pays tribute to the astonishing complexity of Lorenz “Larry” Hart in all his self-deprecating genius.

 

All these delights are doubled by Rudy Hogenmiller’s superb sextet. Bethany Thomas belts out the stuffing of “Everything I’ve Got,” her energy equaled by Jon Landvick’s equally buxom partnership. Tiffany Desmond reaches deep to find the heartbreak of “Ten Cents a Dance” and the passive-aggression of “To Keep My Love Alive,” while comedienne Amy Brophy plays the date from hell in “Wait Till You See Her.” Joining Landvik to turn the Andrews Sister trio “Sing for Your Supper” into a male warbling contest, Rob Riddle and David Geinosky complete the consummate cast. Riddle and Desmond also make delightful dance partners, as choreographed by the versatile Hogenmiller.

 

There are so many wonderful songs on gorgeous display that it’s a joy just to list them: “Mountain Greenery,” “I Could Write a Book,” “With a Song in My Heart,” “Happy Hunting Horn,” “A Great Big Town (Chicago),” “This Must Be Love,” “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” “My Romance,” “Blue Room” (my favorite), and, the alcoholic, depressive Hart’s virtual credo, “Glad To Be Unhappy.” As American as Hammerstein’s ebullience and euphoria, Hart’s thinking love songs are a trove as well to be treasured by lovers of America’s greatest gift to the world, the Broadway musical. This is where you go to celebrate. 

 

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Chicago Critic

October 10, 2011

By Tom Williams

 

Highly Recommended

 

Wonderful night of fabulous songs sung well awaits

 

The Rodgers & Hart collaboration added 550 tunes and 28 musicals to the American songbook since their initial offering in 1919 that ended in 1943. They wrote for Broadway, for film and for Tin Pan Alley. Larry Hart was known for his sophisticated, melancholy, cleverness with a most “New York” “Broadway” feel. Songs like “Manhattan” – “”The great big city’s a wondrous toy/Just made for a girl and boy” and later – reprises: “The city’s glamour can never spoil/The dreams of a boy and goil.”

 

While Rodgers’ music is lush, varied and melodic, I believe that it was Larry Hart’s often sad yet smart lyrics that made tunes like “Falling in Love with Love”, “Little Girl Blue”, “My Funny Valentine,” “Blue Moon,” “I Could Write a Book” and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” American classics.

 

The cast of six non-Equity performers handled the R & H songbook well with Bethany Thomas nailing “The Lady is A Tramp” while Amy Brophy, Tiffany Desmond, David Geinosky, Jon Landvick and Rob Riddle each took turns with smart solos or terrific harmonies that made songs from shows such as “Pal Joey”, “Babes in Arms”, “The Boys from Syracuse”, “By Jupiter,” and “I Married an Angel” come to life.

 

We hear a rich assort of sad, cute, haunting and comic songs that Rodgers & Hart penned that are seldom performed these days. I’m a believer that these terrific songbooks need to be showcased so each generation can experience the genius of major talents from the past. Audiences hear parts of over 50 songs from R & H as they receive a master lesson in lyric writing and melodic composition. We hear an assortment of moods, emotions and attitudes about love, relationships, fears and hopes from these slick and complex tunes.

The cast of six work hard and essentially deliver the R & H songbook with skill and loads of heart! (sorry). A fine night of a rich blend of songs by two masters awaits your call at Light Opera Works Second Stage in Evanston. See this show to hear enchanting songs.

 

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Chicago Theater Beat

October 9, 2011

By Lauren Whalen

 

Three and a half stars

 

‘Rodgers and Hart’ sings out strong

 

One of my favorite theater professors, also a renowned Chicago director, would often yell at his students mid-scene to “trust the language.” He encouraged young thespians to revisit the source material as often as possible, as all questions could be answered within the text. Said professor would highly approve, as I do, of “Rodgers & Hart: A Celebration” With the help of an exuberant ensemble and the barest of production elements, Light Opera Works lets the legendary duo’s legacy speak – or sing – for itself.

 

In his program note, director/choreographer Rudy Hogenmiller (also the company’s artistic director) marvels that “the songs of Rodgers and Hart have a rare ability to stand on their own.” It’s true: even out of their original context, the music of Richard Rodgers and lyrics of Lorenz “Larry” Hart convey strong and relatable emotions ranging from pure giddiness to unbearable longing. As snippets of narration inform the audience, Hart was especially familiar with the latter. An alcoholic who passed away in his mid-forties, Hart was a manic and dedicated songwriter but forever unlucky in love. Even his happier tunes never outright utter the words “I love you.” Indeed, while numbers such as “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” and “Any Old Place With You” inspire smiles; songs like “It’s a Lovely Day for a Murder” reveal a darker sensibility. And the team’s best-known tunes, among them “Blue Moon” and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” are filled to the brim with angst, disappointment and loss.

 

Richard Lewine and John Fearnley’s adaptation strikes just the right emotional balance, making the audience sigh happily just when the sadness gets to be too much. Executed only by voices, piano (conductor Linda Slein) and bass (Joseph Krzysiak), the music is powerful and rich, with no need for embellishment. Keeping with the simple spirit, costume designer Darcy Elora Hofer clothes the cast in black formalwear with accents of red, providing a flattering effect without distracting from the source material. Finally, Rudy Hogenmiller directs and choreographs with a sure hand, effortlessly guiding the performers around Light Opera Works’ Second Stage. The smaller space is perfectly suited for a musical revue, giving the audience an intimate –but not suffocating – experience.

 

The music of Rodgers and Hart sounds deceptively easy: while the lyrics are catchy, the melodies and interpretations are quite complex. However, Rodgers & Hart’s six-member cast is up to the daunting task. Equally strong in solo and ensemble pieces, they glide across the stage and nail impressive high notes, while interpreting each song in a thoughtful, true manner. Tiffany Desmond’s gravity-defying soprano shines in songs silly (“To Keep My Love Alive,” the cheerful narrative of a “black widow”) and gut-wrenching (“Little Girl Blue,” later revived by Janis Joplin). Bethany Thomas’ wide smile and powerful range are put to good use in “The Lady is a Tramp.” Jon Landvick’s able tenor stands out in “Nobody’s Heart”. Though they possess excellent voices, Amy Brophy and David Geinosky sparkle in dance-heavy duets such as “This Can’t Be Love” and “He and She,” exuding a charm not often found in modern-day performers. And the ever-suave Rob Riddle gives each lyric a Frank Sinatra flair, especially in the wistful “I Could Write a Book.”

 

A powerful team in their multi-decade collaboration, Rodgers and Hart combined light melody with words often gritty and grave. Thankfully, their songs live on and productions such as “Rodgers & Hart: A Celebration” serve as a tangible reminder of the duo’s lasting impression on musical theater. With subtle production elements and a terrific ensemble, “Rodgers & Hart: A Celebration” is well worth the trip to Evanston. Jupiter forbid you miss this gem. 

 

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The Fourth Walsh

October 9, 2011

By Katy Walsh

 

The musical partnership of Rodgers & Hammerstein is my go to show-tunes trivia answer. They are the creators of some of America’s most popular musicals. But before Oscar was ever on the scene, Richard had a long-term relationship with Larry. Light Opera Works presents RODGERS & HART: A CELEBRATION. Composer Richard Rodgers teamed up with lyricist Lorenz Hart from 1919 to 1943. The duo is credited with over 550 songs. “My Funny Valentine” and “Isn’t It Romantic” are two of the timeless classics produced by the collaboration. Others, like “Jupiter Forbid” and “A Great Big Town (Chicago),” aren’t as well known but illustrate the frothy side of the musical pair. There are 50+ songs featured in this cabaret revue. RODGERS & HART: A CELEBRATION is a pleasurable tribute to the 25 year bro-mance.

 

Under the direction and choreography of Rudy Hogenmiller, this cast is effervescent! As a group, the harmony is solid pleasure. The dancing is the old fashion variety from stage and ballroom. The combination reminds me of a line from a film in that era “lots of schmaltz and plenty of heart.” Regularly, the six couple up into boy-girl pairings for love songs. The shtick is sweet and sometimes sassy depending on the song. There is a strong comedy vibe throughout the show. The playfulness is especially noted in the second act during a travel montage of songs. The guys, David Geinosky, Jon Landvick and Rob Riddle, have a few male bonding songs that particularly stand-out for me. I have a thing for dashing men in tuxes with perfect crooning capabilities.

 

Costume designer Darcy Elora Hofer has worked her magic on the ladies as well. Amy Brophy, Tiffany Desmond and Bethany Thomas are dripping in rhinestones and elegant black dresses. With the entire ensemble, Hogenmiller showcases everyone with moments of solo attention. Very early in the show, Thomas belts out a beautiful “Falling in Love with Love” and then later a powerhouse version of “Lady is a Tramp.” Although Brophy and Desmond also have wonderful singing voices, Brophy is most memorable for her comedic antics. Her buffoonery is Fanny Brice worthy.

 

RODGERS & HART: A CELEBRATION is a step back in time. In between songs, the ensemble give the backstory on Rodgers’ perfectionism and Hart’s alcoholism. The narration fits nicely into the variety show format. The show concludes with the break-up that paired Richard with Oscar for “Oklahoma” blockbuster success. Even having rejected being a part of the project, Larry cheered on the historic opening. After experiencing this show, I’m “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” that I wasn’t more aware of Lorenz Hart’s contribution to music. RODGERS & HART: A CELEBRATION is a musical appreciation opportunity to be heard.