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 Little Theatre readies patriotic musical, 'George M!' By Lorraine Lucciola, Standard-Times correspondent What the nation needs now is a big, splashy dose of patriotism.
Call it fortunate coincidence, but The Little Theatre of Fall River is eager to oblige, with characteristic energy and commitment, in its latest offering, "George M!"
The show opens tonight at Bristol Community College's Margaret L. Jackson Arts Center. This rousing musical has all the trappings of feel-good, feel-proud bursts of Americanism at its best.
Huge production numbers, snappy choreography and heartwarming tunes such as "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "You're a Grand Old Flag," "Over There," "Give My Regards to Broadway" and others, promise to buoy the audience in a timely renewal of national pride.
You will be pleasantly entertained. You will surely smile. You can applaud loudly and maybe even sing along. Most of all, you'll be in the company of folks, like yourselves, who welcome an opportunity, as simple as seeing this show, to celebrate our country and its guaranteed freedoms.
The production is under the direction of an accomplished team, Janice MacDonald and Jeff Belanger, whose former collaborations include "Jesus Christ Superstar," "The Wiz," "The Boyfriend," and others.
For directors and their crews, "big" shows generally force certain phrases into one's mind. Phrases like, "Oh my God, the (rehearsal) place is wall to wall people," " the set isn't even up," "Why do I do this?" and "I should have my head examined."
If this was Hollywood, these tidbits would be the fodder for those secret clips known as behind-the-scenes dirt. For the Little Theatre of Fall River, however, it means that things are progressing normally and tonight, the curtain will rise on yet another polished production.
"George M!" opened on Broadway in 1968 at the Palace Theater, starring Joel Grey and Bernadette Peters. The book is by Michael Stewart and John and Fran Pascal, with music and lyrics by George M. Cohan.
The movie version, "Yankee Doodle Dandy," has etched the image of James Cagney in our minds, jauntily bouncing down stairs and across the stage in musical fervor. The Broadway musical, like the old movie, chronicled the life and times of George M. Cohan. Critics have called it a "rags to riches" story and a tribute to the unrelenting and patriotic spirit of the performer/composer.
Stephen Wrobleski, an energetic perfomer, will no doubt charm the audience as George M. Cohan in this ambitious production.
Mary Halliday plays Mother Nellie. The actress jokingly insists that she isn't really old enough to play George's mother, so we'll just have to chalk up her performance to artistic credibility. She is paired with Bob Houde II who plays Gerry Cohan, George's father.
An interesting piece of theater history has Ms. Halliday and Mr. Houde coming together again in this show, after having played the same roles in a Durfee High School production 20 years ago.
Loralee Levesque is sister Josie. Jen Harris portrays George's first wife, Ethel Levi; Karen Robinson is Agnes Nolan, the second Mrs. George Cohan.
Choreography is by Mr. Belanger and Ms. MacDonald, with musical direction by Jane Fiore Bigelow. Beverly Robinson is stage manager.
"'George M!' is an old-fashioned Broadway musical filled with gigantic production numbers, big tap dances and intimate soft-shoe routines," says Mr. Belanger. "I read that one observer of the show said, "If there was one thing (Cohan) loved more than anything else after his country, it was Broadway'," he added.
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