[NEohioPAL]Berko review: HONKY TONK ANGELS (Carousel)

[Roy Berko]

‘HONKY TONK ANGELS’ AT CAROUSEL A COUNTRY MUSIC FAN’S
“THANG”

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

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


Okay,  I have to be honest.  I am not a lover of
review-type musicals, and I don’t favor country music.
 With that said, for me to pronounce that ‘THE HONKY
TONK ANGELS,’ now on stage at the Carousel Dinner
Theatre is an “okay” evening, is taking a long step.

I have never figured out why reviews are called
theatre.  They are a series of songs, much like that
presented in a cabaret or night club.  Sometimes the
songs are connected with some trite kind of plot. 
But, in general, that, in my opinion, is a concert,
not musical theatre.  

As for country music, after a while all the wallowing
in self-pity, death, wife-beating and cheating
husbands, and the near-same twanging sounds, just gets
to me.  (Okay, country music lovers, before you fill
up my e-mail box, you have the right to listen and
love anything you want.  I’m sure that if I was
brought up on The Grand Old Opera, Loretta Lynn and
Dolly Parton I’d probably be on your side, but I
wasn’t.  I’m just not a fan.)

With that said....The slight plot unfolds with three
woman from varying backgrounds developing a friendship
on a Greyhound bus on their way to Nashville, the
country music capital.  As the “story” goes on we see
their performances and how they handle the changes in
their lives.   In the process they sing some of the
most recognized country-western songs, including
"Harper Valley PTA," "Stand By Your Man," "Angels
Among Us," “I Will Always Love You,” and "Coal Miner's
Daughter." 

The three characters are Darlene (Elizabeth Stanley)
who moved to the Mississippi delta before heading for
Nashville. We are led to believe that she has been
kind of stuck between being a child and an adult for a
long time.  The show is her journey into adulthood.

Angela (Trudi Posey) is a Texas housewife.  Between
her truck driving husband, repetitive daily life, and
out-of-control kids, she needs to take a break, to try
something different for a while. 

Sue Ellen (Barbara Helms) is a native Texan, living in
Los Angeles, who realizes that life is not turning out
the way she wants it to.

‘HONKY TONK ANGELS,’ written by Ted Swindley, who also
created ‘ALWAYS PATSY CLINE,’ gives each of the
actresses a chance to shine in several solos as well
as a number of medleys. 

The show has a much stronger first than second act. 
The first segment is filled with some humor and allows
the performers to show their acting as well as their
singing abilities.  The second act is a concert which
often turns sappy and centers on how angels affect our
lives (Angles Among Us,” “The Circle is Unbroken,” and
“I’ll Fly Away.”  (Don’t blame me, I didn’t write the
so-called script!)  A segment dedicated to the County
Music “Hall of Fame” is pathetic.

All three of the Carousel performers are quite good. 
They are obviously soloists, for their individual
efforts far outshine their blendings. 

Of the three, Elizabeth Stanley stands out.  She has a
nice stage presence, interprets her spoken lines well,
sings meanings rather than words to her songs, and has
a nice voice.  Her versions of “Fancy” and “I Believe
in Music” were exceptionally fine.

Barbara Helms displays nice comic timing and has a
fine voice, though her version of “These Boots Are
Made For Walking” was given a poor vocal
interpretation.  She does a fun version of “Cornell
Crawford” while gliding across the stage on roller
skates.

After a while, Trudi Posey’s speaking voice just
becomes too raspy, too loud, too hard to listen too. 
She needs to tone down the screech.  Her “Stand By
Your Man” was nicely humorous and “The Pill” was fun.

While the show’s costumes are wonderful, the wigs are
awful.  Many scenes found the wearers having to hold
on the obviously fake pieces, which were often poorly
coiffed.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: If you love or even like country
music and aren’t put off by a flimsy plot, you’ll be
find Carousel’s “HONKY TONK ANGELS  a “Paradise Road”
and have a “Fancy” for the goings-on.  If not, “These
Boots are Made for Walking” in another direction.  

For tickets  call 800-362-4100.  Show times are
Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Friday
and Saturday evenings at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday evenings
at 5.  Matinees are on Wednesday and Saturday at 2. 
Dinner is served two hours prior to curtain.  Ticket
prices range from $25.50 to $46.


=====
Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.


		
__________________________________ 
Do you Yahoo!? 
Yahoo! Mail - 250MB free storage. Do more. Manage less. 
http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250