Personals
Presented by Euphoria!
8 p.m. Feb. 25-26
Bongo After Hours Theatre
2007 Belmont Blvd.
For information, call 777-ARTS
"Personals," a musical revue making its Nashville premiere, opened Feb. 11 in the upstairs theater at Bongo Java coffeehouse. The good news is that not only is this one terrific evening of entertainment, but its run continues through the weekend, which gives local theatergoers one last chance to catch a smart, sassy, and sexy piece of theater.
Usually, the hoopla about a successful theatrical event revolves around the players, writers, and directors. Make no mistake, the creative personnel are all on the same page where Personals is concerned. In this case, however, special kudos go to Euphoria! producers Ken Bernstein and Welles Propper for having the brains to do it in the first place, and for summoning considerable enthusiasm and energy to make it a reality.
The brainchild of Marta Kauffman, David Crane, and Michael Skloff—co-creators of the hit television series Friends—Personals originally opened off-Broadway in 1985. It was spawned by the growing phenomenon of personal ads, and since there seems to be a never-ending community of ”seekers“ even today, the show continues to feel fresh and contemporary. The material is sketch-driven, charting the ups and downs of relationships, the dating scene, marriage, and divorce, with a few side trips into ”alternative“ living arrangements, video dating services, and various arenas where the battle of the sexes is played out.
The scenes are brought to life in 15 musical numbers, with the music provided by no less than six different composers, the most notable of which are Alan Menken, the kingpin of Disney animated musicals, and Stephen Schwartz, who struck gold nearly 30 years ago with Godspell and Pippin. Not surprisingly, the music as a whole lacks the kind of unity one finds in musical theater classics such as The Music Man or West Side Story. But a delightful hodgepodge of tunes it is, the styles ranging from rock ’n’ roll to lyrical pop to ragtime to gospel. Whether the various sketches are flat-out comical or a little more poignant in nature, the musical diversity serves them well, adding surprise and an occasional dash of knowing kitsch.
The man in the corner wearing two very large hats is pianist Jamey Green, who not only serves as musical director but also staged the production. He comes up aces on both counts. The pacing is snappy, the laughs plentiful (and sometimes winningly outrageous), and the occasional seriousness is played with appropriate understatement. Bongo Java’s intimate space, while potentially limiting for some stage vehicles, is actually used to good effect here, with the audience creatively invited into some highly personal scenes. Meanwhile, with the assistance of percussionist Kerry Kennard, Green handles his chores at the keyboard with sure-handed style, grace, and musical-comedy pizzazz. Choreographer Lisa Gillespie deserves mention as well for efficiently working out some modest but charming dance steps on the postage-stamp-size playing area.
Much of the cast, along with Green, are veterans of Franklin’s Pull-Tight Players, and it’s a joy to have them all within the Music City limits. Lewis Kemp, Dan McGeachy, and Daniel Vincent all have fine moments, with McGeachy shining as a typesetter who finds eye-opening fulfillment with his wife and a man-midget (yes, at the same time). Kemp stands out in the Act 2 opener ”Moving in With Linda,“ and Vincent’s main contribution is a recurring series of vignettes in which he plays a painfully nerdy fellow whose dating philosophy is guided by a self-help cassette tape. This bit is humorous until it turns tedious. On the other hand, his appearance dressed as Mr. Potato Head—in a chick fantasy about the perfectly malleable male—is a riot.
The women are simply splendid. Nora Cherry, Julie Durbin, and Cela Scott all have Broadway-caliber voices—which they use to versatile effect—and they play the comedy with broad strokes without going overboard. Yet in a show studded with fine performances, Cherry pretty much steals the spotlight. Her bold theatrical stance, her distinctive visage, her movement, and her voice all combine to make for a definite star turn, in particular in the musical numbers ”I Think You Should Know“ and ”Michael.“
While the creators of the play may also be responsible for Friends, it is a joy to report that what makes Personals so thoroughly engaging is the very fact that it doesn’t lapse into whiny, predictable, laugh-track sitcom contrivance. Even through their tongue-in-cheek wisecracking and their license to burst into song, the characters emerge as a more-or-less believable cross-section of modern people who’ve been through the relationship wars. Moments that focus on the sobering shock of recognition are interspersed nicely with those that remind us how unforgivably laughable the modern state of romantic affairs is. Moreover, the show takes a droll stance on the subject of sex without leering even once.
Personals gives the Nashville theater community much to celebrate: professional, committed musical comedy with a sophisticated edge. It’s a shame that—like many a jaded lover—it can’t stick around a little longer.
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