Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Rainmaker at Lakewood Playhouse


Rainy day people
by Michael Dresdner

L to R: Mason Quinn, Elliot Weiner                           Photo by Dean Lapin 
  
Lakewood Playhouse, apparently set on making us forget about how wet it is this April, has brought the arid, depression-era play The Rainmaker to its stage. This 1954 property is not to be confused with the Grisham lawyer novel/movie of the same name.

A traveling con man named Starbuck (Bruce Story) blows into a drought- crippled town and promises rain in 24 hours in exchange for $100, at the time a serious sum. Insinuating himself into a cattle-raising family, he insists they each engage in a variety of somewhat embarrassing and pointless acts. It’s part distraction and part technique to make them have skin in his game of believing, and intentionally or not, he becomes a catalyst for change.

Sparked either directly or inadvertently by his actions, those he touches overcome their fears. The untrusting learn to hope, the timid become brave, and the self-doubting learn to love, both themselves and those they yearn for but believe are out of reach.

If this sounds like a darker, less melodic version of The Music Man, you’re on the right track. (For what it is worth, The Rainmaker opened on Broadway three years before The Music Man.)

There are some exceptional performances afoot here. Elliot Weiner does a wonderfully subtle job as the father, H. C. Curry, who, after his wife’s death, became a softer, more guiding parent. He accepts and loves his children for exactly who they are, and gently tries to steer each to what he or she needs.

Elder son Noah (Jacob Tice) has taken over running the ranch, and by extension, the family. It’s a burden, but also a bulwark to support his cynical pragmatism, and an excuse to influence his siblings. Younger brother Jim (Mason Quinn), whom Noah sees as rather stupid, is instead a delightfully realistic chap who wins us over with his trusting, energetic hopefulness.

Anchoring it all is a superbly cast sister, Lizzie (Tanya Barber), who believes herself to be too plain to ever land a man, a self-doubt Noah encourages. Her catharsis is at the root of the play.

Rounding out the small cast are the very believable deputy File (Jed Slaughter), emotionally crippled by a divorce he can barely admit to himself, and his constant and stalwart Sheriff (Ernie Heller.) While Story’s Starbuck is not the spellbinder that Preston’s Harold Hill was, he does bring a dose of enthusiastic self-assurance, and does a credible turn in his seduction scene with Lizzie.

All this takes place on an beautifully clever stage designed by Judy Cullen. There are actually three sets; a house, an office, and a barn. All are hidden in plain sight when not being used, thanks in large part to excellent lighting (and dark) effects by Niclas R. Olson.

Diane Runkel does a fine job, as usual, with appropriate costumes, and sound designer John Burton adds another dimension both with accurately subtle sound effects and with superbly chosen musical interludes between the scenes. I can’t say the same about the fight scenes; the fight choreography definitely needs work, and perhaps that will improve during its run.

In the final analysis, I came away feeling that in spite of a lot of great actors and characterizations on that stage, at least as far as opening night was concerned, the whole fell short of the magic that it could be. Perhaps it will improve with age, but even in its nascent state, there’s enough to make it worth seeing.

The Rainmaker
April 19th to May 12th, 2013
Lakewood Playhouse

Thursday, April 18, 2013

It's a Good Day for Miss Peggy Lee


Postscript
by Michael Dresdner

In case you were wondering, the one night show It’s a Good Day for Miss Peggy Lee at Centerstage turned out to be all that I had hoped for, and a good deal more.

As usual, David Duvall both led his stalwart band (Bruce Carpenter, Rich Cole, Paul Baron, Bud Jackson, Bill Branvold, Don Miller, Jon Miller, Don Dieterich) and crafted an absolutely delightful evening that would rival the best of Las Vegas.

But what really put it over the top was headliner Lindsey Larson.

With a cool, sweet, bell-like voice and a superb on-stage demeanor, she charmed the audience and adroitly made Peggy Lee’s music come alive (again.) It was not just a great voice, mind you, but straightforward delivery coupled with a wonderful range of expression. True to the scope of Miss Lee’s long and varied career, she zipped fluidly through a wide pantheon of musical styles, and I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job of it.  

In short, a brilliant impresario led an excellent orchestra behind a vocalist that was perilously easy to adore.  

Hey, I told you not to miss it.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

IT’S A GOOD DAY FOR MISS PEGGY LEE


Putting on the dog
by Michael Dresdner

Lindsey Larson                  Photo: Jason Ganwich
I’ll admit it; my first real awareness of Peggy Lee was as Peg, the sultry lhasa apso in Disney’s classic Lady and the Tramp who sings “He’s a Tramp” to her fellow dog pound inmates. That’s after she voices the film’s two evil Siamese cats, Si and Am, and Lady’s owner, Darling.

No matter; whether animated or live, any way you discover Peggy Lee is a good way.

For those of us who’d like to rediscover, or at least revisit, this amazing icon of songwriting and performing, there’s good news. David Duvall and his Purple Phoenix Productions will be offering a ONE NIGHT ONLY tribute concert of Peggy Lee songs at Centerstage.  

Doing the vocal honors will be Lindsey Larson, a local Seattle singer with a more than respectable performance pedigree. She’ll be backed by the Purple Phoenix Orchestra, replete with Duvall’s own arrangements.

You can look forward to a host of great Peggy Lee tunes, like “Why Don’t You Do Right?” (yes, that’s the one Jessica Rabbit sang in the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit?), “I Don’t Know Enough About You”, “MaƱana”, “Just For A Thrill”, “Where Or When”, “I’m A W-O-M-A-N”, “It’s A Good Day”, “Big Spender”,
“The Folks Who Live On The Hill”, “Don’t Smoke In Bed” and her trademark hit “Fever”.

Luckily, you don’t need to be a “Big Spender” to enjoy this concert, but you do need to act quickly. Duvall has done a number of similar outstanding one night tributes (Patsy Cline, Lena Horne, Nat “King” Cole, Bobby Darin, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Rosemary Clooney) and they tend to sell out completely. That’s for good reason; they are amazingly well produced and performed, superbly paced, and generally a sheer delight.

To quote another great Peggy Lee tune, you may well leave the theater humming “Is That All There Is?” and wishing the wonderful experience could go on and on.  

In any case, if you, like me, are a lover of Peggy Lee, don’t miss it.

IT’S A GOOD DAY FOR MISS PEGGY LEE
Saturday April 13, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.  
ONE NIGHT ONLY
Centerstage Theatre