[NEohioPAL] REVIEW: Little Women on Canton Players Guild mainstage

[Tom Wachunas]

Astonishingly Tepid
By Tom Wachunas
 
    “…I will blaze
until I find my time and place. I will be fearless, surrendering modesty and
grace. I will not disappear without a trace. I’ll start a riot, be anything but
quiet…I’ll be astonishing.”  - lyrics
from “Astonishing” by Mindi Dickstein (music by Jason Howland), from the
musical, Little Women – 
 
     Over the past several years of seeing the
mainstage productions of Canton’s Players Guild Theatre (now celebrating its 80th season), I’ve been wowed every time by great stage literature –  both dramatic and musical – presented with wondrously
impressive, fiery professionalism that far exceeded ‘standard’ expectations of
a community theatre organization. But expectations in this context can be fragile,
and too easily built upon the consistency of past performances. And so it is
that I found the current production of the musical Little Women, directed here by John M. Russell,to beunusually
unsatisfying on a few levels. 
    First, and perhaps
most important, is the art itself. Allan Knee’s book adaptation greatly
short-changes the rich depth of character and story development in Louisa May
Alcott’s 1868 beloved classic novel about the March sisters and their mother
fending for themselves in Concord, Massachusetts, while father is away fighting
in the Civil War. The episodic, truncated structure of the musical, with its
largely unmemorable melodies and lyrics, makes it difficult to sustain lasting
emotional connection to the characters. For most of the show, neither the
bright live accompaniment (provided by an excellent seven-piece orchestra directed
by Steve Parsons), nor even the cast’s most fervent performing, fully conquers
this shortcoming.
    There were, to be
sure, some notable performances on opening night, both in singing and acting -  just not enough of them, and not where you
might expect them to be. You would expect, for example, the central character
of tomboy Jo -  the feisty, blunt, but
jovial sister who dreams of being a world-class writer -  to be a truly commanding singer. But in that
role, Michelle Rae Chaho – an infectiously energetic actress (particularly as
she narrates/mimes her hilariously goofy “operatic tragedies”) -  lacked the vocal chops to pull off her
character’s dreamy urgency in a convincing or consistent manner. Closing the
somewhat sluggish first act, her big solo, “Astonishing,” was anything but, and
hardly a show stopper. Similarly, Rose Medley, for all the sincerity and
matronly warmth she brings to her role of Marmee (mother), seemed a bit too
forced and tentative in her singing.
    Not so with Jo’s  sisters. Each of them – Cassidy Tompkins as
Meg, Brooke Upholzer as Beth, and Rachel Wolin as Amy – brings a remarkably
sonorous clarity and soaring verve to their ensemble harmonies, particulary in
the invigorating “Five Forever.” Therein they welcome Laurie (Jo’s would-be
suitor), played with intrepid boyish enthusiasm by John Gluckner, as an
honorary fifth member of the March family. Eminently entertaining, too, is
Teresa Houston as the worldly Aunt March, obsessed with social etiquette. Her
marvelously animated manner and crisp vocals bring a quasi-operatic panache to
the proceedings.
    One memorably charming scene during Act One
transpires in the period-sounding song, “Off To Massachusetts.”  Rich neighbor Mr. Laurence (grandfather of
Laurie), played by Merle Smith, effectively softens his stuffy, gruff demeanor
and sings a delightfully lilting duet with the gentle Beth playing piano.
    Another of the
evening’s most compelling and tender vocal performances comes during the more
engaging second act, with the song “Some Things Are Meant To Be,” as Jo and the
ailing Beth fly a kite along the sands of Cape Cod.
     The musical is too empty of passages like this
one. Its emotional authenticity rises above the  generally cosmetic, cookie-cutter ‘charm’ of
the show, and is a truer reflection of the potent charisma in Alcott’s original
story.
    The Canton Players
Guild Theatre presents Little Women at
the Cultural Center for the Arts, 1001 Market Avenue North, THROUGH MARCH 11.
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets can be ordered at  330 – 453-7617,
or at  www.playersguildtheatre.com
    For other reviews
and commentaries by Tom Wachunas on the performing and visual arts in the
greater Canton area, please visit his blog, ARTWACH, at  www.artwach.blogspot.com  
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