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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2018)
10A • July 27, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com ‘MUSICAL OF MUSICALS’ By Nancy McCarthy For EO Media Group E ven a lover of musicals may never be able to see all the musicals ever staged. But there’s one musical that may solve that problem. “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!),” at the Coast- er Theatre, combines several composers’ styles into five satirical musicals centered on one story: How will the hero- ine pay her rent, and can the hero rescue her from the evil landlord? The first version, “Corn!” from Rodgers & Hammer- stein, is set in Kansas in August. It is followed by a Sondheim selection that takes place in a New York apart- ment house, where the land- lord is an artist with a deadly plan. Next comes a Jerry Her- man version with a character reminiscent of both Dolly and Mame who advises the young heroine how to be a star and get someone else to pay the rent. A rock musical, ala An- drew Lloyd Webber, borrows themes from Puccini, and a Kander & Ebb version with hints of “Cabaret” and “Chi- cago” round out the parody. Eventually, the heroine learns how she will pay her rent — maybe. The show is directed by Patrick Lathrop, the Coaster’s executive director. Katherine Lacaze, who has performed in several productions, is as- sistant director and choreo- graphed two of the five sce- narios. “I was looking for singers who had the confidence to Lira and Bronson say they discover nuances at every re- hearsal. “Every bit is nine jokes or deeper,” Lira said. “We really had to do our homework.” GEORGE VETTER PHOTO From left: Richard Bowman, Cameron Gates-Lira, Darren Hull and Ann Bronson pose for a photo from a production of “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!).” sing,” said Lathrop about the four-member cast. “There are singers, and then there are singers,” he added. “If you ask somebody, ‘Do you sing?’ and they go, ‘Oh yeah, I sing.’ Then you ask somebody, ‘Oh yeah, I sing really well’; there’s the difference.” And then there are sing- ers who can act while they’re singing — not always an easy thing to do. But Darren Hull, Rich- ard Bowman, Ann Bronson and Cameron Lira, who have worked together in many Coaster productions, had the confidence and acting skills Lathrop sought. Their expe- rience and friendship also are evident in the way they en- gage on the stage. Layers of jokes Lathrop, who has a degree in musical theater, said he en- joys the parodies and jokes in the show. Although each version stands as a “musical” by itself, there are satirical nods within that scenario to other musi- cals written by each composer. “Corn!,” for instance, includes hints of “Carousel,” “Oklaho- ma,” “The Sound of Music,” “The King and I,” “Cinderel- la,” “Flower Drum Song” and “South Pacific.” “Once we got into it, I real- ized the music was very com- plex,” Lathrop said. “Like the Sondheim — they’ve (lyricist and composer Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell) taken the Sondheim, but they’ve paro- Owner/Principal Broker c: 503.440.3202 f: 877.812.1126 e: alainagiguiere@mac.com #1 in sales 2016 and 2017 CoastalAdvantage.com Bronson, who played Dolly Gallagher Levi several years ago in a Coaster production of “Hello, Dolly!,” is familiar with a character in the Jerry Herman scenario. The woman poses majestically at the top of a staircase and claims, “I can’t sing or dance, but I’m the star of the show.” “I’m not doing the Irish ac- cent this time (as she did with Dolly), but I realized that I’ve been this character,” Bronson said. “I’ve seen you before.” While Bronson’s favorite scenario is the speakeasy, Lira enjoys the Sondheim version “because I get to sing snip- pets of songs of roles I haven’t played before,” she said. Among those songs is one about birds flying around her head: “Why do the birds fly died him, and in doing that, they’ve taken what he does, which is difficult, and made it even more difficult within the parody.” Most of the shows being parodied Lathrop has either seen or worked on. An audi- ence should be able to under- stand the underlying winks to other works as well, he added. “If you’ve seen the movie, you’re going to get the jokes,” Lathrop said. “But the silly lit- tle shows stand on their own. The characters are strong. The songs are really delightful little songs, and if you listen to the lyrics, they’re very funny.” He points to a lyric sung in a speakeasy: “Here at the speakeasy it’s hard to say.” Or, “The hills are alive … but you’re half dead.” Alaina Giguiere Coastal Advantage ‘Safety net’ of friendship Marty Giguiere Owner/Broker c: 503.440.7676 o: 503.436.1777 e: mr007@pacifier.com Broker c: 503.354.4072 e: susantone@nehalemtel.net Andrea Mace Hilary Herman Shelley Parker Broker c. 503-440-4024 e: Andrea.k.mace@remax.net Broker c: 503-791-4718 e: HilaryHerman@hotmail.com Broker c: 503-739-1977 e: Shelley.Parker@mail.com Cheryl Johnson Abbas Atwi Broker c: 503-739-1977 e: Cheryl.Johnson@remax.net Broker c: 503-310-8464 e: Abbas.atwi@remax.net Member of 2 MLS Systems Each office is independently owned & operated 163 E CHENA Susan Tone Broker c: 503.440.1648 e: egranebrown@gmail.com Broker c. 503.440.9280 e: maryanns@remax.net 219 N. 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Heroine (napkin, like a bow, at the side of the head): “I can’t pay the rent.” Landlord (napkin, like a mustache, above the top lip): “You must pay the rent.” Hero (napkin, like a bow tie, at the neck): “I’ll pay the rent.” Heroine (napkin, like a hair bow): “My hero.” Although the music is com- plex and the choreography is tricky, the cast members obviously enjoy performing together, thanks to the friend- ships built on and off stage. “There’s a safety in that; we have the freedom to explore, the freedom to make idiots of ourselves,” Lira said. “It’s fun to have people you’ve worked with over the past 10 years to help you pull off a joke.” All brokers listed are licensed in the State of Oregon 188 FERNWOOD 571 ANTLER 82927 HWY 53 + S 31 RE C A NEW PRICE OCEAN FRONT! 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