For me, one of the treats of summer is checking out regional theater. You can often find fun shows in charming theaters in towns you'd enjoy visiting anyway. Long Island's Gateway Playhouse offers a full lineup this summer, including favorites like Hairspray, Altar Boyz, Hello, Dolly!, and Avenue Q. I had high hopes for their season-opener, Irving Berlin's I Love a Piano; after all, Berlin is one of our greatest songwriters and this revue gathers over fifty of his hits. On paper, it sounds like a dream. And I credit producer Paul Allan and director Bob Durkin with gathering a strong cast and good band. But the show, written by Ray Roderick and Michael Berkeley and arranged by Berkeley, isn't particularly well structured, nor well arranged. Too many of the songs seem to run together, with less impact than they should have. And the show's strongest performer, Ryan Lammer—an immensely appealing song-and-dance man—isn't featured on any of the songs in the final scene (which is also the weakest). For me, his beautifully shaded,
bittersweet rendition of "Blue Skies" was a high point of the show. And Deborah Tranelli, whom I've always enjoyed—whether on stage in shows like The New Yorkers, or on TV, co-starring in Dallas—offered a rich, burnished, emotional interpretation of "Suppertime" that, as with "Blue Skies," I'll long remember. Those songs are given thoughtful placement and showcasing. But, too often, songs were sequenced haphazardly, lessening their value. And modifying arrangements, to gave us more of Tranelli's gorgeous lower register and less of her weaker head tones, would have served better both some songs and a gifted artist.
Chip Deffaa
Cabaret Scenes
June s6, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org
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