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Some Enchanted Evening:
The Songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein
Directed by Bill Jenkins
Music Direction by Dr. Harold Mortimer
Choreographed by Bob Kiser
Produced by Noble Fool Theatricals
At Pheasant Run Resort
4051 E. Main Street
St. Charles, IL
Call 630-584-6342, www.noblefool.org
Thursdays & Fridays at 8 pm
Saturdays at 5 & 8:30 pm
Sundays at 2 pm
Running time is 2 hours with intermission
Through November 1, 2008
Memorable revue of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s songbook nicely sung
There is much to admire about director Bill Jenkins’ staging and Dr. Harold Mortimer’s musical direction of the Rodgers & Hammerstein songbook, “Some Enchanted Evening.” First is the respectful tone the singers have for the material—a collection of many of the greatest show tunes of all time. Second is the excellent order of the songs nicely creating a mood or a theme from the songbook. There are love songs, stirring ballads, cute girl songs, boy songs and strong anthems. Some songs are funny, some sad—all are memorable. “The Sound of Music,” “Oklahoma,” “South Pacific,” “Carousel,” “The King and I” and “Cinderella” among others come alive in fine medleys and spot light solos from the five players.
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Mike Arthur, Cassandra Liveris, Catherine Lord, David Meadows and Andrea Prestinario compliment each other as the seamlessly move into and out of the songbook. We hear duets, 3, 4 and 5 part harmonies as well as solos from each performer. Mike Arthur nails “There is Nothing Like a Dame” while Andrea Prestinario sweetly sings “I Have Dreamed” and “”A Cockeyed Optimist.” Catherine Lord renders “Out of My Dreams” and “Love, Look Away” while David Meadows’ rich baritone reaches for “Lonely Room” and “This Nearly Was Mine.” Each of the five blend their talents effectively selling their songs with gusto and verve.
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“Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein” is a nostalgic evening of toe-tapping songs from two giants of the American musical stage. Amazingly, some of the younger folks in the audience stated that they only knew a few of the songs. All the more reason that this show needs to be mounted every few years. It is long over due. Kudos to Noble Fool Theatricals for giving us another reason to hum along with great tunes.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2008
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