| CAST (in alphabetical order) |
Aug 3 to Aug 6, 2004
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Pictured (front to back) Susan Sanders, David Haines, Carol Kugler, Catherine Uy, Bob Deutsch and Joe Cascone |
The songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein seem to have been with us forever.
From 1943 to 1959 the team created nine Broadway shows, plus one film and one television musical. As both
producers and songwriters, their names became synonymous with Broadway. It was a time when theatre music
fed the hit parade and recordings of their shows sold millions of copies. Less than ten years after their final
Broadway production opened, the divorce between popular music and theatre music would be final. So, as they
defined an era they also closed the book on it.
The Civic Light Opera Company pays tribute to the team with a revival of their popular revue Some Enchanged
Evening at the Fairview Library Theatre.
The six performers are all very much at home with the material having all played in previous productions of the
shows. The staging is simple and effective, always visually interesting while allowing the songs their chance to
shine.
Not all of the songs are well known. Early in the proceedings Carol Kugler offers a beautiful reading rendition of
“Boys and Girls Like You and Me” – a song cut from Oklahoma! during try-outs. It may not have worked in the
story, but Richard Rodgers’ melody deserves to be heard.
We tend to think of Hammerstein as the original cockeyed optimist, offering simple romantic statements. Think of
“If I Loved You” from Carousel, set to one of Richard Rodgers’ most haunting melodies, and beautifully sung here
by Catherine Uy. But Hammerstein could be witty and ironic at times. Susan Sanders makes the case in Act One
with “The Gentleman is a Dope” from Allegro and David Haines reminds us in Act Two with “Don’t Marry Me” a
comic reverse proposal written for Flower Drum Song
Every contemporary theatre lyricist owes a huge debt to Hammerstein, who learned early on the importance of
structuring songs to tell stories and communicate feelings. The “Soliloquy” from Carousel is still a model of
theatre writing at its finest, and Joe Cascone offers a true show-stopping moment with the piece, navigating the
sudden shifts in mood and bringing out the subtle nuances of the character.
At the other end of the subtlety spectrum is “A Lovely Night” from the television musical Cinderella. Here the
number is played for laughs with Susan Sanders and David Haines as the two ugly stepsisters mocking the
heroine. It is a far cry from the solemnity of “Climb Every Mountain.”
Near the end of Some Enchanted Evening Bob Deutsch offers a simple, straightforward performance of
“Edelweiss” from The Sound Of Music. The song is intended to sound like an Austrian folksong, but the nationalist
pride transcends boundaries. And, fittingly, the last word is “forever.”