[NEohioPAL] Review of "Mr. Death and the Redheaded Woman" at CVLT

[Bob Abelman]

'Mr. Death' moseys into River Street

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the News-Herald 2/19/10

 

Those seeking a pleasant after-dinner respite without committing to an entire evening's entertainment will find it in the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's bite-sized production of Mr. Death and the Redheaded Woman.

 

Although the title suggests something epic, Gothic and Gaelic-a Lord of Darkness meets Lord of the Dance-Mr. Death and the Redheaded Woman is actually a one-act adaptation of a delightful little fable written by Helen Eustis. It borrows elements of traditional folk tales and moves them into the Old West.

 

The play tells the tale of feisty Maude Applegate, the redhead in the title, who chases after Mr. Death to negotiate for the life of her beloved Billy-be-damn Bangtry, who was gunned down in a saloon.  

 

Originally published as a short story in the Saturday Evening Post in 1950, the fable was turned into an illustrated children's book in 1983.  It was recently adapted for the stage by Shelley Costa with original music by Bill Rowe, two Chagrin Falls residents.  

 

Directed with loving care by Pamela Ruiz, Mr. Death and the Redheaded Woman is an absolute pleasure to watch and listen to.  The play's feel-good storyline, clever music and lyrics, and endearing ensemble make it impossible not to manage a smile from the show's opening to its closing moments.



This is one charming production.

 

This simple story is told on a bare stage in the River Street Playhouse, the intimate ancillary space operated by the CVLT. Little more than slide projections on the back wall establish a sense of time and place, which reinforces the story's lack of pretention.

 

The cast consists of the adorable Amy Pelleg as Annie Oakley-esque Maude Applegate, the brooding Brian G. McCann as the dark yet accessible Mr. Death, Natalie Dolezal as a delightful Granny and Jon Gellott as cocksure lady's man Billy-be-damn Bangtry.  Rowe, himself, sits on stage as the play's sage narrator and acoustic guitar-totting troubadour.

 

With 13 musical numbers packed into a 60-minute package, this production is more of a story told through song than a bona fide musical.  One song is connected to the next through short spurts of folksy narration and a smidgeon of dialogue, all of which nicely preserves the Old West-speak that made Eustis' original work so fun and flavorful.    

 

This production's one short-coming is that Rowe is a song writer and not a musical theater composer.   His folk songs are meant to be sung, not theatrically enacted and embellished with choreography.  They are meant to be sung by folk singers, not stage performers.  They come with musical lead-ins, which keep the performers waiting for their cues to sing, rather than musical theater underscoring, which serves to smoothly transition dialogue to song.  All this creates some awkward moments.  

 

These are horseflies on an otherwise captivating little oater.  They are mere annoyances that are easy to shoo away to allow the charm of the evening's entertainment to take hold.

 

Mr. Death and the Redheaded Woman continues through February 27 at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's River Street Playhouse in Chagrin Falls.  For tickets, which are $10, call 440-247-8955 or visit www.cvlt.org.
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