Mixed reviews

Posted 8/21/12

Benjamin Franklin once said that “honesty is the best policy,” and like so many other pithy comments of his, the expression is still around. My poor mother tried to instill this concept in my …

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Mixed reviews

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Benjamin Franklin once said that “honesty is the best policy,” and like so many other pithy comments of his, the expression is still around. My poor mother tried to instill this concept in my young head, and although I had my mouth washed out with soap a couple of times, I still tried to lie my way out of trouble on occasion. It rarely worked. As I matured (don’t go there!) I found that both Franklin and my mother were right, of course—and as I embraced honesty, the idea of becoming a critic appealed. In the beginning, I thought that being given the opportunity to express my professional opinion also meant giving me free reign to mow down artists, musicians and performers who had the misfortune of crossing my path before I discovered the art of finesse. Still, there might be a few folks in the Upper Delaware River region that consider me public enemy #1, and more often than not, it’s the theatrical community that sometimes expresses fear and loathing in my general direction.

Let’s be clear. I attended the school of hard knocks as a young actor, and while there may have been a couple of positive reviews in my scrapbook, I had plenty of criticism thrown my way. So one would think I’d know better and be more sensitive to actors in general, but there were times…

Former Forestburgh Playhouse producer Norman Duttweiler once referred to me as “the Clive Barnes of the Catskills,” which in itself is a mixed review. Barnes, most notable as a theatre critic for The New York Times, was notorious for his ability to have tremendous influence on the success or failure of Broadway productions. Although thrilled that the New York State Council on the Arts considers me “an expert in my field,” I don’t take the responsibility lightly, but reserve the right (through the title of this column) to honestly express my opinion, and since it is mine and mine alone—“Anything Goes.”

Now playing at the Forestburgh Playhouse (www.fb playhouse.org), Cole Porter’s musical extravaganza can be summed up easily. “The story concerns the madcap antics aboard an ocean liner. Billy Crocker is a stowaway in love with heiress Hope Harcourt, who is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Nightclub singer Reno Sweeney and public enemy #13 Moonface Martin aid Crocker in his quest to win Hope. The musical introduced songs “Anything Goes,” “You’re the Top” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.” (www.wikipedia.com). My experience at the playhouse was mixed. I really liked some of the performers, most notably Mackenzie Warren (Reno), David Rossetti (Lord Oakley), Michael Iannucci (Moonface) and Walker Degerness (Billy), but it took time for me to warm to them. In point of fact, it took an entire act for the cast to build up steam, and it wasn’t until the stage was overflowing with performers dancing their hearts out to the title song, that I felt the show was officially under way. The exception to the rule: Dana Culliname (Erma), who lit up the stage from the moment she appeared.

There is little doubt that Porter was a genius and his lyrics are ridiculously brilliant, but I question their relevance for today’s (less sophisticated?) audience. Referencing once-famous people like Jimmy Durante and Greta Garbo can be looked at in two ways: crazy-clever or totally passé. The modern world (the show debuted in 1934) is less forgiving of characters like the seriously un-PC Luke and John. While I was enthusiastic about Sean McKnight’s choreography, I was less so about his stage direction, including the fact that for folks sitting in the back of the theatre, actors heads were cut off by Joe Keener’s clunky, uninspired two-level set. Repeatedly. I found Ethan Steimel’s lighting design slightly garish and distracting and Dave Sanford’s sound design was spotty on the night I saw the show. Mark Sorensen’s costume design was (IMHO) lovely, and under the direction of Nicholas Place, the band sounded pretty darn good. Mixed.

While there is no denying that Cole Porter penned some incredible hit songs in “Anything Goes,” there are several that are less than brilliant, including the forgettable “Easy to Love,” “Be Like a Bluebird” and “There’s No Cure Like Travel.” Others, like “Friendship” and “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” still thrill, but while the chorus worked hard, I’m unsure that they fully grasped the vintage feel of the production. I’m thinking it might now be considered an old war-horse and be put out to pasture, regardless of the many talents of the team at the Forestburgh Playhouse. My review? Mixed.

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