[NEohioPAL] Review of "I Love a Piano" at Actors' Summit

[Bob Abelman]

Irving Berlin revue is one for the ages-75 and older

 

Bob Abelman

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

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the Times papers 3/25/10

Composer and lyricist Irving Berlin was one of America's greatest and most prolific songwriters. His melodies so captured the essence of the monumental eras in which they were written, such as the Great Depression ("Blue Skies") and World War II ("God Bless America"), that they are forever connected.  His masterful "Easter Parade" and "White Christmas" have become synonymous with those holidays.

Despite Mr. Berlin's brilliance, taking over 50 of his songs and cramming them into a two hour musical revue called I Love a Piano cheapens the work.   In fact, this concoction, conceived by Ray Roderick and Michael Berkeley, is the musical theater equivalent of a Costcos or a Sam's Club, where the product's value is greatly reduced by its sheer volume. 

Unless you are of the age where just hearing these songs jogs fond memories of another time and place, this show fails to transport anyone anywhere.  The production, on stage at Actors' Summit in Hudson through April 11, is a high energy but low frills bit of continuous song and dance catering to the senior citizens in the crowd.

 

In I Love a Piano, Mr. Berlin's songs are wrapped around a storyline so thin and translucent-the travels of an upright piano from the 1910s to the 1950s-that it barely serves as connective tissue during act one and is all but forgotten by act two.  As the story unfolds, from one time period to the next, the piano is simply moved from one side of the stage to another.  The frills could be no lower.

So thin is the storyline that projected images representing the various eras captured in song are provided for reference.

So thin is the storyline that the period costuming and Julie Goncy's period choreography are more for display than to facilitate the storytelling.  

 

So thin is the storyline that it fails to give proper or sufficient context to the many songs originally written for big film or theatrical productions that contained plenty of context.  

 

Thin, too, is the talent in this production.

 

The show is performed by an enthusiastic troupe of players who, under the lively direction of Neil Thackaberry, are way too eager to please.  They appear to be working overtime to convince the audience that, because they are having such fun performing these musical numbers, we should be having fun watching them.  Their frozen, toothy smiles are in perpetual awe-struck mode and their huge, unblinking eyes are mechanical and, at times, nearly maniacal in their good intention.

Although Mary Jo Alexander, Shawn Galligan, Jennifer Griffin, Dawn Sniadak, Keith Stevens and Matthew Wright are talented and polished performers, none come across as true song-and-dance men or women built for musical revue.  Several showed up on opening night with tired voices unable to deliver Mr. Berlin's often complex work with the purity and power it deserves.

The four-piece band, led by Evie Morris on piano, is wonderful. 

I Love a Piano is a show for the ages-75 and older.  Everyone else will be amused, but not well entertained and most certainly not enthralled by this production.

  
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