[NEohioPAL] Review of "Backward in High Heels" at Cleveland Play House

[Bob Abelman]

'High Heels' more about the steps than who fills the shoes 

 

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 on 1/14/11

 

With a title like Backwards in High Heels: The Ginger Musical, one would think that this Cleveland Play House production is about the life and times of dancer Ginger Rogers.  

 

OK.  It is.

 

However, anyone expecting something genuinely biographical, such as the insightful Mae West exposé Dirty Blonde, will be sorely disappointed.  Even those expecting something generally biographical, like the delightful rendering of Fanny Brice's career in Funny Girl, will be disappointed.  

 

Either Rogers' life was terribly bland and shallow or, more likely, this play's writing is, for there is little substance in Backwards in High Heels to drive a storyline, tap an audience's emotions, or sustain an evening's entertainment.   

 

Ginger Rogers is most remembered for being connected at the wrists and ankles to dance partner Fred Astaire in several RKO films of the 1930s.  Together they revolutionized the Hollywood musical with their unprecedented elegance and the virtuosity they brought to ballroom dancing, set to music composed by the greatest songsmiths of the day.

 

In fact, the show's title derives from Rogers' description of her partnership with Astaire: "I do exactly what he does for half the money, and I do it backwards and in high heels." 

In Lynnette Barkley and Christopher McGovern's Backwards in High Heels, Rogers is depicted as a talented, ambitious and aggressive young woman pursuing stardom over the objections of her protective mother.  And that's about it.  The details and drama of her life, including her five marriages, are glossed over to the point where this play could just as easily be about any showgirl or starlet from this period.

So nondescript is Rogers' life in this musical that "A tribute to," "A celebration of" or "Inspired by" should be added to the title. So hokey and stilted is the dialogue-an inadequate attempt to capture the flavor of the period as reflected in its films-that "An apology" should be added as well.

Despite all the vagaries in this piece of work, there are two things that are abundantly clear.  

The first is that the Ginger Rogers story is merely a backdrop for what is really a showcase for the music and lyrics of Irving Berlin, the Gershwins and Jerome Kern, and the singing and dancing they inspired.

With the music so center-stage, this production's six-piece band has the unenviable task of representing the full orchestrations of the original music.  The band, under the direction of Tim Robertson, is superb.  Director Scott Schwartz does a fine job as well.  He gives structure to the show's nonmusical material, so that it is more than just connective tissue between songs and dances.

The second point of clarity is that the talent in this production far surpasses the quality of the production itself.

 

The cast consists of marvelous Broadway musical theater veterans, including Anna Aimee White as Rogers, Heather Lee as Rogers' mother Lela, Christianne Tisdale as Ethel Merman, Matthew LaBanca as Fred Astaire, Benjie Randall as Rogers' second husband Lew Ayres, and James Patterson as first husband Jack Culpepper.  All but White play multiple roles to cover Rogers' life from the vaudeville stage through her ascension to the Silver Screen.

 

White lacks many of the trademark characteristics of Rogers' on-screen persona-sultry, for example, is not in her repertoire-but boy can she act, sing and dance.  She does justice to each of the classic tunes she sings and, although the show is short on ballroom dancing, she has all the moves.

 

The ensemble also consists of extremely gifted, well-rounded performers who do the most they can with the material they've been given.  They are particularly adept at capturing the style of speech, repartee and dance of the period, as well as imitating some of the most well known performers of the era.

 

Of course, anyone unfamiliar with the films of the 1930s will have no frame of reference for any of this.  In this regard, Backwards in High Heels has much in common with CPH's 2009 production of Mahalia: A Gospel Musical-another musical short on story but rich in music. 

 

Many in attendance at that production seemed to lack the culture, upbringing or experience instrumental in having a full and rich appreciation of the inspirational music being performed.  I recommended that those foreign to gospel music should bring along a Baptist.

 

For Backwards in High Heels, having a septuagenarian in tow could prove useful.

 

Backwards in High Heels: The Ginger Musical continues through January 30 in The Cleveland Play House's Bolton Theatre.  For tickets, which range from $45 to $65, call 216-795-7000 or visit www.clevelandplayhouse.com.
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