[NEohioPAL] Review of CVLT's "The Roar of the Greasepaint-The Smell of the Crowd"

[Bob Abelman]

CVLT's "Greasepaint" is all about the music

 

Bob Abelman

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

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 9/14/12

 

 

A greater sense of urgency, rarity and value get added to a sale, a service or a special event whenever the words "limited time only" precede its promotion.   Such is the case with the Chagrin Valley Little Theater's limited-time-only production of the musical "The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd."

 

The urgency is authentic, for the show runs for just three performances and all of them are this weekend.  But what makes this production truly rare and particularly valuable is the 24-piece Chagrin Falls Studio Orchestra backing up each performance.  Full orchestration and the richness it generates are not only unheard of in community theater circles, but smaller and increasingly synthesized sound has become the norm in local professional theaters and on cost-conscious national tours of Broadway productions.  

 

CVLT director Don Edelman and CFSO conductor Stephen Eva began their partnership five years ago with a concert version of "Guys and Dolls," offering limited production values and abbreviated dialogue but with all the music and a huge on-stage orchestra.  Their collaborations have progressed to fully staged musical productions including "Man of La Mancha" and, now, Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley's 1965 Tony nominated "Greasepaint."  

 

Few shows are more conducive to full orchestration but less in need of being fully staged than "Greasepaint."   

 

Its story is an absurdist reflection of the British class system and the struggles between the haves-personified by an older, overbearing character named Sir-and the lower class have-nots-as represented by a younger cockney Everyman named Cocky.  In a series of scenes that tend to resemble vaudevillian sketch comedy rather than narrative storytelling, the two engage in a game where Sir makes up the rules in order to torture his vulnerable playmate, while Cocky suffers stoically until finally standing up to his tormenter.

 

Mostly, "Greasepaint" is a series of wonderful songs that are tangentially related to and only slightly inspired by the storyline.  In fact, it often seems as if the tedious on-stage proceedings merely serve to set up the many musical numbers.  

 

The show has faded into relative obscurity, due in large part to its outdated social commentary, weak script and outmoded pseudo-experimental presentation.  Still, several of its songs-including the up-beat "On A Wonderful Day Like Today" and "Where Would You Be Without Me," as well as the ballads "Who Can I Turn To?" and "The Joker"-became cover classics for popular performers in the 1960s and still hold up today.

 

Consequently, the CVLT's full staging of this allegorical satire seems a fruitless enterprise despite Edelman's valiant effort to keep the on-stage antics lively and visually interesting.  The musical performances turned in by Edelman's cast and Eva's orchestra, however, are most certainly worth the price of admission.  

 

An opportunity to witness an early dress rehearsal revealed a stage stacked with exceptional musical theater talent.  The six young girls who comprise the chorus of street urchins-Sophi Dennis, Jeanne Greminger, Sophie Longo, Emily McCulley, Ashleigh Nagy, and Lilly Saunders-are enchanting, generate beautiful harmonies and nicely execute Ida Porris' delightful choreography to underscore most of the musical numbers.  The operatic Evie Koh and Brian Keith Johnson as The Girl and The Negro, respectively, and the adorable Caitlin Houlahan as The Kid are each featured in only one song, but they excel in the spotlight and leave you wanting more.    

 

As for the leads, Bob Keefe's Sir and Dan Hoy's Cocky are an absolute pleasure to watch and listen to throughout the production.  

 

Hoy's boyish charm and sweet tenor lighten but do not lessen the emotional load written into his songs, including the heartfelt "Who Can I Turn To?' at the end of Act One and the exhilarating "Nothing Can Stop Me Now!" in Act Two.  Keefe shows off his character actor chops in every musical number that comes his way, delivering each with an air of amped elitism that just barely buffers an underlying malevolence.  Both are superb.

 

Although a concerted effort to turn "Greasepaint" into a concert performance would have been much appreciated, the show's music still manages to win the day.  But for a limited time only.

 

"The Roar of the Greasepaint-The Smell of the Crowd" performances are September 14 to September 16 at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, 40 River Street, Chagrin Falls.  For tickets, which are $20, call 440-247-8955 or visit www.cvlt.org.
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