[NEohioPAL]Reviews of ANYTHING GOES & SAFMOD DANCE

[Roy Berko]

‘Anything Goes’ Delights, SAFMOD Excites

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--WestlakerTimes--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	


‘ANYTHING GOES’ DELIGHTS AT GREAT LAKES

Take a typical 1930’s musical full of obvious plot
twists and extended slapstick gags and give it a
creative, no-holds barred production.  The results:
Great Lakes Theatre Festival’s delightful and
audience-pleasing ‘Anything Goes.’ 

‘Anything Goes’ was first envisioned by its producer
while hiding out aboard a fishing boat in the Gulf of
Panama after fleeing the country to escape creditors.
His idea was based on the premise of an ocean liner
facing the threat of a possible shipwreck. He returned
to New York, assembled a production team and  started
rehearsals.  Unfortunately, the S.S. Morro Castle sunk
 off the coast of New Jersey.  How could he open a
happy go-lucky musical based on a ship wreck?  So, the
task of quickly rewriting the show was undertaken. 
The basic idea was retained, but the shipwreck was
eliminated and a plot of hidden identities and
unrequited love was substituted.  Think ‘Importance of
Ernest’-lite.  The very title refers to the
desperation with which the show was put together.  Any
and everything was tried to save the initial
investment and make sure that the show went on. 

The show, even in a recent rewrite which was used in
the staging of this production, is long on music and
short on plot.   What is not wanting is the music of
Cole Porter.   Porter is a wordsmith of the highest
order.  His rhyming patterns and erudite language are
unique among song writers.  His songs require that you
listen carefully in order not to miss a single word or
clever phrase.  

Porter’s background was unique among American popular
composers of his era in that he was born to wealth,
and that his apprenticeship took place not in Tin Pan
Alley but in the playgrounds of Europe. Most Broadway
writers of the era were immigrants, such as Irving
Berlin, with little formal education.   Porter’s
schooling included Yale and the Schola Cantorum in
Paris.

‘Anything Goes’ opened in November of 1934 and, in
spite of the book, turned out to be the fourth longest
running musical of the 30’s.  Much of the credit for
the success was not only Porter’s words, but Ethel
Merman portraying an evangelist become night-club
singer and singing such Cole Porter delights as "Blow,
Gabriel Blow," "You're the Top," and "I Get a Kick Out
of You".  It’s pretty hard for anyone familiar with
musical theatre to listen to those songs and not hear
Merman belting them out.  In 1987, the show was
revised and revived.

The main action takes place on a luxury liner sailing
from New York to Southampton and includes gangsters,
evangelists, sailors and a whole lot of singing and
dancing.   Songs include such standards as,  "All
Through the Night," "It’s De-lovely," "Easy to Love"
and the title song, "Anything Goes."

The Great Lakes production is blessed with the
creative, let-loose directing of Victoria Bussert,
creative choreography by Janet Watson and right-on
musical directing by Steven Gross.  John Ezell’s set
adds to the effervescent feeling of the show, but the
midstage turntable caused production problems, with
the continued presence of stage hands moving the
turntable and walking around backstage and some
turning difficulties.

It was worth the price of admission just to see Steve
Routman’s portrayal as Public Enemy number 12,
Moonface Martin.  He not only looks like Buster
Keaton, but also has Keaton’s deadpan expression.  He
is a master of the ad lib as displayed several times
when his covering of set mishaps and line fluffs
brought extended applause from the audience.   

Nancy Hess made the role of Reno Sweeney, the night
club evangelist her own, choosing not to do an Ethel
Merman imitation as often happens with those who
portray this role.  She has a pleasant voice and a
nice perky acting style.

Hunter Bell, who has neither the physical or facial
requirements of Broadway males who usually portrays
leading man roles, nevertheless makes a creditable, if
not outstanding, Billy Crocker.  

All-in-all ‘Anything Goes’ at Great Lakes Theatre
Festival continues the thus far excellent year under
new Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee.  It makes
one look with excitement to GLTF’s next production,
George Bernard Shaw’s comic masterpiece ‘Arms and the
Man’ which examines war and love.  It  runs from March
12 through 23rd.

For tickets to GLTF productions call 216.241.6000 or
800.766.6048..


SAFMOD EXCITES AT CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE

The dance scene in Cleveland, in spite of the
departure of Cleveland-San Jose Ballet, is very
healthy.    There has been an explosion of small dance
companies that have more than filled the void of no
longer having a world-class production company in
town.   Two of the best are in-residence at Cleveland
Public Theatre: SAFMOD Performance Ensemble and
GroundWorks Dancetheater.
	
SAFMOD was founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1991 by
percussionist/composer Neil Chastain and
dancer/choreographer Young Park.  The company moved to
Cleveland in 1993.  The group is dedicated to
multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural performances which
strive to push the boundaries of dance, music, and
visual artistry.  Their multi-media approach has
included the use of projected digital animation,
aerosol art installations, dancers on stilts, spoken
word poetry, audience involvement, trapeze work, and
costumes often made from recycled materials.

SAFMOD’s recent performances at CPT were met by
appreciative sold-out audiences.

The evening opened with "Temporal Tides," a
well-conceived piece which grapples with the forces of
time.  The dancers were huddled in a heap, mid-stage
at the start.  Each grew upward, upside down, feet
first, then torsos, then heads.   The slow, controlled
movements continued throughout the piece.  As is
typical of the group, such props as tree limbs and
ethereal lighting helped convey the message.

"Fionacci" was an astounding example of a perfect
fusion of dance and music.  The movements were so well
synchronized to Neil Chastain’s music, which was
specifically developed for this piece, and for Young
Park’s choreographic and dance styles, that the two
elements became one.  

"(With In) Instrument" was a happy gymnastic-centered
piece which had an almost Disneyesque quality.  It
featured the guitarist/singer Alex Alvarez performing
an original song which choreographer Young Park
transformed into a modern dance.  The dancers conveyed
convincingly the concept of people as  bags of
humanity who often bumped into one another.

"Ahimsa" was the weakest piece of the evening.  Many
segments of this attempt to portray some people’s
inhumanity toward each other were to be acted as well
as danced.   It illustrated that proficient actors do
not necessarily make proficient dancers.  Many facial
expressions and body movements were unrealistic.  This
was also the only piece in which the synchronization
of dancers was weak.  The stilt and masks created by
Alison Egan and Alexandra Underhill were outstanding. 
Ezra Houser’s stilt movements were well done.

"The Playground" was a total delight.  Not only did
the audience love it, but the performers appeared to
be having a wonderful time.  The segment starts with a
chorus of nine drummers beating on blue buckets.  It
segued into a playground with a trapezoid-shaped metal
structure which was moved to allow the
dancers/gymnasts to play at ease.  A combination of
routines similar to Olympic gymnastic routines
combined with swinging and flipping brought the
audience to gasps and prolonged applause.  It was a
perfect way to end a wonderful evening of dance.

The other resident dance company, GroundWorks
Dancetheater, is a professional organization, founded
in 1998, dedicated to the development and presentation
of new choreography that encourages collaboration with
other art disciplines.   It is headed by the creative
and proficient choreographer and dancer David
Shimnotakahara.   Their programs encourage
understanding of dance and how it is created.   They
will be appearing at CPT from February 28 through
March 2.  For tickets, which are a reasonably priced
at $15 to $18 call 216-631-2727.  A special family
matinee is available for the Sunday, March 2nd
production.  Adults are $12 and children 12 and under
are admitted for $5.


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