Audio By Carbonatix
Anything Goes. Anything Goes premiered in 1934, after a hasty rewrite: The original plot concerned a shipwreck, and shortly before the scheduled opening night, a fire broke out on a cruise liner and 137 passengers were killed. By then the writing team, which included P. G. Wodehouse, had moved on, and Timothy Crouse and John Weidman came in to rewrite the script, tossing it together so fast and creating such a hodgepodge of improbable plot events, corny jokes and juvenile fun that at some point someone exclaimed, “Anything goes” — and the title became a description of the process of putting the thing together. But the plot wasn’t the point. Anything Goes is about songs, and those songs are by that elegant genius of musical theater, Cole Porter. Almost all of them are now classics: smart, tuneful, touching, funny, silly or sophisticated. The minute an audience of almost any age hears the first notes of “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” “It’s De-Lovely” or “Anything Goes,” they can hum what comes next. There are also huge, exuberant numbers like “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” and some lesser-known gems, including the brief, wistful “Goodbye, Little Dream” — and all of these are performed with joy and skill by the talented cast at Littleton Town Hall. The action takes place on a luxury liner bound for London. Among those on board are evangelist-turned-nightclub-sensation Reno Sweeney and the man she loves, Billy, one-time Yalie Elisha J. Whitney, pretty debutante Hope, Lord Evelyn Oakley and gangster Moonface Martin. The humor hasn’t aged well, and some of the comic acting is a bit heavy-handed, too. But there’s a lot of exuberant singing, and overall, the show is a fluffy, fizzy helium giggle, a whirl of no-thought-required sound and color in a fantasy world where indeed, anything goes. Presented by Littleton Town Hall Arts Center through December 28, 2450 West Main Street, Littleton, 303-794-2784. townhallartscenter.org. Reviewed November 27.
Fiddler on the Roof. This production of Fiddler on the Roofdoes full justice to Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s brilliant songs, tells the evocative story with clarity and feeling, and also — uniquely — sounds the musical’s deeper, darker chords. The action is set in a rural Russian Jewish community whose members can be quarrelsome and petty or generous and helpful, but always unified by timeless bonds of ritual and tradition. At the center of the community is Tevye, a poor milkman struggling to survive and with five daughters to worry about. His worries come to a head when the three eldest daughters, each in turn, defy his patriarchal authority: Instead of submitting to the manipulations of matchmaker Yente, Tzeitel chooses the tailor Motel and only then asks her father’s permission; Hodel falls in love with radical Marxist Perchik and prepares to follow him wherever his revolutionary work leads; and, worst of all, Chava marries outside the faith, choosing a Russian soldier. A lot of Tevyes come across like Jewish Santa Clauses, but Wayne Kennedy’s version is a different animal entirely. He gives the comedy its due but lets us see the profound sadness beneath the jovial exterior — and something more. This man is loving to his children, generous to the stranger — as Jews are historically required to be — and jokey and argumentative with God. But there are deep currents of rage coursing through his veins as he contemplates the loss of everything he’s cherished, including his little bird, his daughter Chava. The entire cast is strong and conveys a sense of authenticity and respect for Jewish history, and the menace humming beneath the action reminds us of the real dangers of the pogroms. Presented by BDT Stage (formerly Boulder’s Dinner Theatre) through February 28 at 5501 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder; for information, call 303-449-6000 or go to bouldersdinnertheatre.com. Reviewed December 4.
Moulin Scrooge. Moulin Scrooge mashes up the well-known story of A Christmas Carol with the plot of Baz Luhrmann’s overheated Moulin Rouge, a film about the love between a writer and a consumption-wracked cabaret dancer called Satine. With songs. The production is bit of a mash-up, too, the result of a collaboration between two Boulder groups: the Catamounts, a lively, witty company with roots in Chicago theater, and the Naropa-influenced Band of Toughs, who, according to their website, are committed to producing original, genre-smashing work that “puts the ass back in passion — and then kicks it!” The two plots twine together with remarkable ease. Henri Toulouse-Lautrec functions as both participant and omniscient narrator. Scrooge undergoes his miraculous conversion, and, having tried a little tenderness and found the results unsatisfying, decides to stay as miserly as ever. Lovely Satine cavorts crazily on a trapeze and speaks incessantly of her yearning to be a true artiste. Her friend and fellow dancer Frau Frau, having reached the advanced age of 25 — or thereabouts — bemoans her wrinkles and failing body, and fears that Scrooge will soon put her out to pasture. Despite his filthy clothes and stinking body, Bob Cratchit is our romantic hero. And then there are the requisite three ghosts and, of course, Tiny Kim. The songs are jokey and full of arch references. Some of the dialogue is clever and some truly groan-worthy, but it’s the physical comedy that makes the evening, and you really have to admire the way this game and gutsy cast hurls itself into the action. Chris Kendall’s Scrooge is quietly hilarious. Max Schwartz plays Cratchit with an angelic and idiotic innocence, and if you still get a little damp-eyed when fragile little Tiny Tim says “God bless us, everyone” in conventional Christmas Carols, you’ll hardly know how to take Joan Bruemmer-Holden as Tiny Kim lumbering around with exaggerated lumpiness on her crutches — falling, springing up, kicking her legs to unexpected heights, and insisting she’s about to become a real dancer under Satine’s tutelage. If you’re in the mood for a few drinks and some lighthearted lunatic entertainment, this is the holiday show for you. Presented by the Catamounts and Band of Toughs through December 20 at the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo Street; get tickets at brownpapertickets.com, thecatamounts.org or bandoftoughs.com. Reviewed December 11.
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