 |
| Photo: Jeri Tidwell Photography |
Ever since Show Boat debuted in 1927, controversy followed it. Was this a racist musical or was it a musical
about racism?
On one hand, it was the first show
on Broadway where black and white individuals performed together. It also drew
attention to miscegenation laws and the horrors such laws inflict on people.
On the other hand, the first
production of Show Boat featured two
white women playing black characters—Julie and Queenie—in blackface. And it also depicted a multitude of offensive
stereotypes about black people and racial slurs that were common during the
1877-1927 period during which the show’s plot took place.
Controversy or not, Show
Boat, with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar
Hammerstein II and based on Edna Ferber’s best-selling novel of the
same name, remains a musical classic.
The iteration of Show Boat now
playing at Toby’s, the Dinner Theatre of Columbia, is a talent-rich production
whereby the superb cast is attired in magnificently detailed period costumes
that were designed by AT Jones & Company.
Co-Directors Toby Orenstein and
Mark Minnick (who also choreographed the production) made the decision to trim
the sprawling show to a manageable level.
Several songs and scenes were cut, and with them, much of the offensive
dialogue and slurs. Serious themes, such
as abandonment, gambling and poverty remain woven throughout the fabric of the
plot. #hocoarts
This is not to say the Toby’s
version was completely cleansed of racial tensions. The N-word was spoken early
on to remind the audience of what race relations were like during this Jim Crow
era.
Miscegenation laws factor in a key
sub-plot. A married couple, Steven Baker, who is white (played convincingly by
Justin Calhoun) and Julie LaVerne (Julia Lancione) who is of mixed race, were
the victims of these laws. The tense confrontation between the local sheriff
played powerfully by David Bosley-Reynolds and Steven and Julie—the two leading
performers on the Cotton Blossom, a show boat that traveled up and down the Mississippi
River—is one of the better dramatic scenes.
Though Steven convinces the sheriff
that he “has Negro blood in him” and is backed up by the troupe, they are
forced to cease performing with the white performers on the Cotton Blossom because
of segregation.
 |
| Photo: Jeri Tidwell Photography |
Despite the serious issues, Ms. Orenstein
and Mr. Minnick deftly guide Show Boat
with a lighter touch than the original, resulting in more laughs than gasps,
and the classic songs including the ballads “Ol’ Man River,” “Only Make Believe”
and “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” were retained.
Ms. LaVerne as Julie sparkles and
her perfor
mance in “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” is moving. Mr. Calhoun, in playing Steven, a not-so-good
actor on the Cotton Blossom but thinks he is, creates some fine comedic
moments.
Robert John Biedermann 125 effectively
plays Captain Andy Hawks, the patriarch of the Cotton Blossom, which is the hub
for which the subplots revolve. Mr.
Biedermann knows how to deliver a punch line with the best of them and excels
throughout the show. His repartee with the
ultra-talented Jane C. Boyle, who plays his stern, humorless, domineering wife
Parthy, is hilarious and provides effective comic relief sprinkled among the
dramatic sequences in the plot.
The Hawks’ daughter, Magnolia, is
played by Abby Middleton. Magnolia falls in love with a riverboat gambler Gaylord
Ravenal played by Russell Rinker and marries him against Parthy’s wishes. After subsequently moving to Chicago and
succeeding at first with his gambling, the financial bottom falls out for
Gaylord, and he abandons Magnolia and their newborn daughter Kim. Gaylord returns two decades later and the
couple reconciles as the show ends. Kim (Allie O’Donnell) becomes a successful
performer in her own right.
Ms. Middleton’s gorgeous soprano
voice and Mr. Rinker’s solid tenor are on display in the beautiful “Only Make
Believe” and “Why Do I Love You.” Her
solo, the reprise of “Can’t Help Lovin Dat Man,” and his solo “Where’s the Mate
For Me” are outstanding.
Marquis White, who plays Joe, a dockworker
delivers the iconic, slow-moving “Ol’ Man River” in a goose bump-inducing, knockout
performance that showcases his stellar bass voice.
Joe’s wife, strong-minded Queenie,
a cook on the boat, is played flawlessly by Samantha Deininger. She demonstrates spot-on comedic and acting
skills, and her mezzo-soprano vocals stand out in “Mis’ry’s Comin’ Aroun’” and
in the moving duet with Mr. White, “I Still Suits Me.”
Other performers on the Cotton
Blossom include Frank Schultz and Ellie May Chipley, played by Jeffrey Shankle
and Elizabeth Rayca, respectively. They also deliver comic moments. The married couple becomes successful and
generous with their success. Their duet,
“Goodbye My Lady Love” is a joy.
 |
| Photo: Jeri Tidwell Photography |
The remainder of the ensemble
perform very well in support of the leads and in production numbers. Mr. Minnick’s choreography is creative in designing
several dance sequences that play well on Toby’s in-the-round stage.
Ross Scott Rawlings and his
six-piece orchestra do a splendid job in performing Mr. Kern’s score and
allowing the vocalists to shine without drowning them out.
Mark Smedley’s sound design is
perfectly executed as all dialogue and music are heard with clarity.
David A. Hopkins who designed the
effective lighting effects also designed the set. Elements of a 19th
century show boat are seen overhead with detailed lattice work and fences at
the two balconies denoting the upper deck of the boat. In addition, many props and set pieces are
effectively utilized to portray the era that include carts, sacks of flour,
bales of cotton, and miscellaneous furniture for scene changes spanning 40
years.
The trimmed-down version of Show Boat at Toby’s manages to provide
the audience with sufficient flavor from the time when segregation and miscegenation
laws ruled the day without dragging it out.
It also demonstrates the strength and fragility of relationships over a
swath of time through an excellent score and potent dialogue.
Get your tickets to hop on Show Boat. This is an entertaining,
well-directed production performed by a talented company that is sure to
please.
Running time. Two hours and 40
minutes with an intermission.
Show Boat plays
through March 19 at Toby’s, the Dinner Theatre of Columbia, 5900 Symphony Woods
Road, Columbia, MD 21044. Tickets can be
purchased by calling the Box Office at 410-7390-8311 or 1-800-88TOBYS or online .
No comments:
Post a Comment