[NEohioPAL] Rave Review for Some Enchanted Evening @ Actors' Summit

[MaryJo Alexander]

*An ‘Enchanted’ stroll down memory lane*



Published: Monday, May 2, 2011 12:32 AM EDT

Reviewed by FRAN HELLER
Contributing Writer, Cleveland Jewish News



Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) need no
introduction.

These two mavens of musical theater (both Jewish) changed the face of the
American stage in the 1940s and ’50s by fusing story, music and dance into a
seamless whole. Rodgers wrote the music; Hammerstein, the lyrics.  It was
the golden age of the medium, and their collaboration – beginning with
“Oklahoma” in 1943 and ending with “The Sound of Music” in 1959  – left a
legacy of pop standards unmatched by any other musical writing team in
history. Their award-winning shows, many turned into award-winning movies,
garnered 34 Tonys, 15 Oscars, a Pulitzer Prize and two Grammys.

Some of the music may sound dated, sentimental, and as “corny as Kansas” in
the era of Stephen Sondheim, pop rock and musical satire on Broadway. But
the songs that Rodgers and Hammerstein composed – lush melodies of love and
romance and humorous tunes about boy meets girl, boy wants girl – remain
immortal.



You can take a stroll down memory lane at *Actors’ Summit in Akron, where
“Some Enchanted Evening*,” a musical revue of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s
golden oldies, is running through May 22. If you like the pair’s music,
you’ll really enjoy the show, *which received a standing ovation* from the
mostly older crowd at the performance I attended.

A piano, four singers and a large moon are all it takes to fill the theater
with the sounds of music. The ensemble of *Melissa Brobeck, Stephen
Brockway, Brandon Isner and Dawn Sniadak-Yamokoski have strong voices and
sing well, either solo or in tandem.* As actors, their choreographed
movements felt labored at times but should smooth out over the course of the
run.

Director MaryJo Alexander keeps *the tempo varied with fast songs and slow
ones, snippets of some and others in whole cloth. Tuxedoes for the men and
glittery ball gowns for the women (costumes by Alexander) hearken back to an
era of elegance, grace and seeming innocence.*

It’s the songs, mostly familiar, some not, that irresistibly set the foot
tapping and the vocal chords humming to melodies that get under your skin
and become lodged in your heart. Songs include “Something Wonderful” and
“Hello, Young Lovers” from “The King and I”;  “People Will Say We’re in
Love,”  “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” and The Surrey with the Fringe on the
Top” from “Oklahoma”; and of course, the title song “Some Enchanted Evening”
from “South Pacific.”

The concept for the show was first conceived in 1983 by Jeffrey B. Moss. The
revue at Actors’ Summit, in which one song follows another, is unwavering in
format, as performers sing, exit the stage and then reappear. The score
covers a huge chunk of territory, resulting in some fast-flying medleys that
barely touch upon some of the great songs. Clearly, those songs presented in
their entirety are more pleasing.

*Michelle Massouh Makhlouf at the keyboard brings the music to life.

The singers acquit themselves well in operetta-like melodies that require
volume, range and harmony. These performers add a lot of personality to
their delivery. *Standout numbers include my lifetime favorite “If I Loved
You” from “Carousel,” movingly sung by *Brockway and Brobeck.* (Okay, I
admit, I’m a hopeless romantic.)

*Sniadak-Yamokoski* adds lusty vocalism and comic skill to the song about a
gal who just “cain’t say no” from “Oklahoma” and “Don’t Marry Me” from
“Flower Drum Song,” the latter performed with a reluctant beau played by
Isner. Brobeck’s strong soprano soars in “I Have Dreamed” from “The King and
I.” Brockway offers an excellent rendition of “My Boy Bill” from “Carousel,”
in which carnival barker and expectant dad Billy Bigelow suddenly realizes
that the son he fantasizes about just might be a “she.”

Company numbers include “Shall We Dance?” “It’s a Grand Night for Singing,”
and a rousing rendition of “Oklahoma.”

I especially liked “A Puzzlement” from “The King and I,” performed by *Brockway
and Isner*, in which the king ponders his potential role in the larger
world. Lyrics about politics, trust and allies remain strikingly relevant
today.

The musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein were not all peaches and cream.
“Carousel” (1945) was one of the first musicals to contain a tragic plot.
“South Pacific” (1949) dealt with bigotry and racial prejudice; it won the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. The backdrop for “The Sound of Music” was
the rise of Nazi Germany.

The show ends on a high note with a lovely rendition of “Some Enchanted
Evening.” In a world in which everything changes, some things, like falling
in love, never do.

WHAT: “Some Enchanted Evening”
WHERE: Greystone Hall, 103 S. High St., 6th Floor, Akron
WHEN: Through May 22
TICKETS & INFO: 330-374-7568 or www.actorssummit.org


-- 
*MaryJo Alexander*
*Co Artistic Director*
*Actors' Summit Theater*
**
*now located *
*Greystone Hall---6th floor*
*103 S. High St*
*Akron Oh 44308 *
*330-374-7568*
*www.actorssummit.org*
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