THE HANGOVER REPORT – A gorgeous-sounding 110 IN THE SHADE charms at Ford’s Theatre

112487Last night, I attended Ford’s Theatre charming revival of the under-appreciated musical 110 in the Shade, which features a score by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones (who also provided the immortal score for the equally immortal The Fantasticks) and a book by N. Richard Nash. If this revival doesn’t quite erase memories of Audra McDonald, John Cullum, and Steve Kazee in Roundabout Theatre Company’s rousing 2007 mounting of the musical, this Washington, DC production nevertheless didn’t fail to move me. The musical, about a plain young woman’s journey to self-realization, is beautifully crafted. Indeed, Schmidt and Jones’s folk music-inspired score (the show takes place in Texas, after all) is rock solid and quite accomplished, and Mr. Nash’s book is accessible yet quietly thought-provoking.

The production’s main assets are musical. The trio of Kevin McAllister, Tracy Lynn Olivera, and Ben Crawford all boast glorious voices – in addition to honest acting – that sound spectacular wrapped around Schmidt and Jones’ score. Additionally, the orchestra, under the bright musical direction of Jay Crowder, is excellent, sounding much larger and lusher than its eight pieces. The production is directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, who is perhaps best known to most theatergoers as the director of the excellent recent Broadway revival of Ragtime, in a straightforward manner. Although one could argue that the production could explore its characters’ psychological and philosophical struggles more thoroughly with a firmer directorial hand and a stronger point of view (for example, Michael Schweikardt’s handsome set design could have portrayed a more precise or poetic sense of time and place), Ford’s Theatre’s staging charms heartily nonetheless.

RECOMMENDED

 

110 IN THE SHADE
Regional, Musical
Ford’s Theatre (Washington, DC)
2 hours, 15 minutes (with one intermission)
Through May 14

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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