Photos by RyLo Media Design, Ryan C. Loyd
SLO REP‘s creative presentation of a selection of songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals does more than offer up a couple of hours of song and dance.
A Grand Night for Singing creates an atmosphere that transports us away to a time of romance and the excitements and disappointments of love and relationships—from love at first sight to the bitterness of breaking up and moving on with life.
I had ambiguous expectations when I walked into the theatre, but was pleased to find that A Grand Night makes for an engaging and elegant night out in San Luis Obispo.
The scenic design by Dave Linfield is minimalistic and imaginative. Trees form the backdrop, decorated with pages and pages of white music sheets rising up into their boughs. Through the trees a metal-worked staircase descends to the stage, and just beneath the stairs and the trees is a three-piece band (Lacey McNamara on keyboards, Mitch Houseman on bass, and Noel Granada on drums).
The atmosphere evokes a sophisticated venue in the glory days of the Hollywood nightclub. I kept thinking we should be sitting at tables, with a rye and ginger ale before me—or that we were under the stars at an outdoor dance with live music on a darkly pleasant spring night
The musical numbers, under the direction of McNamara, were compelling, and I found myself being drawn in by the skilled performers and their absolute stage presence.
The choreography seems as natural as it is artistic. All of the numbers are performed by three women—Annaliese Chambers, Katelyn Shreiner, and Sasha Weiss—and two men—Nolan LeMay and Tim Stewart. It’s amazing how much can be done in the theatre with a small cast when they have the range and the skill of this group.
The songs themselves seem to have arrangements that are slightly tweaked for newer sound and dynamism, and sometimes I found myself thinking, “Wait, this sounds familiar… Oh, yes, it’s ‘Honeybun’!” or “Oh, yes, ‘Shall We Dance?’!”
It’s fun, and also revealing how these songs have woven into American culture even outside the theatre. Since Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first collaboration on Oklahoma! in 1943, these songs have worked their way into high school and college productions, motion pictures, and (ugh!) TV and radio commercials (I seem to recall “Wash That Man” being in a shampoo commercial at some point).
We often don’t even realize the impact that these songs have had or where they originated before they were laced into everyday and popular culture.
A Grand Night features just short of 30 songs, which seems like a lot, but the time goes by fast, and the singing, dancing, and repartee keeps the audience engaged. Chambers, Shreiner, and Weiss give a great rendition of a medley version of “Many a New Day/Wash That Man,” with just the right mix of anger and humor.
LeMay and Stewart excel on “All at Once You Love Her,” and LeMay evokes empathy in “The Man I Used to Be” as a trio with Chambers and Shreiner. Weiss hypnotizes with “Something Wonderful,” and the talented ensemble’s tour de force of “Shall We Dance?” brings a rush of good feelings and goose bumps.
Stewart begins Act 2 with an evocative “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’” and even though it’s a cool spring night, we’re feeling it.
Another favorite is “It’s Me” performed by Chambers and the guys. The song explores the duality of the actor and the role, and how the stage can transform a regular person into someone extraordinary. Chambers is great in this piece as she makes us remember that the performers before us are all real people with lives of their own. A Great American Melodrama veteran, she’s the standout in this show with expert delivery, exceptional singing and dancing, and an energy, charisma, and dynamism that transports audiences into the magical land of show biz, letting us linger there for a short time away from our regular everyday lives.
A Grand Night for Singing really is a good time out, and adults can pick up on the mature and sexy innuendo while all ages can enjoy the show with its song-scenarios of infatuation, courtship, love, romance, heartbreak, and reality. At times I was thinking I felt nostalgia. In truth, in its production and presentation, the show makes you feel like you are seeing something fresh and new in songs you already know.
So grab a dame or a cat and get down to SLO REP to be taken to a land of romance, and until the final bows you’ll feel like you’re falling in love under the stars on a warm spring night.