A "Celebration" it is not! Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt gave their audiences the longest-running production in New York, The Fantasticks. Celebration did not fare so well. One member of the audience at Patio Playhouse summed it up: This must have been during their dirty old men years.
The story is concerned with profanity, breasts and erections. It pits a nasty, rich, dirty old man against a pure young orphan boy. Young boy wants beautiful girl. Beautiful girl wants fame and fortune. Dirty old man can provide for her at the expense of her true love: young orphan.
The staging at Patio Playhouse is interesting. Richard Brousil and Deborah Zimmer provide a multi-level set, affording the cast a vast variety of entrances and moves. Intriguing, too, is the showy area lighting, although lighted areas are sometimes sustained long after a singer had moved to another area. Choreographer Dawn Marie Himlin creates interesting moves, which are executed less than perfectly.
The good combo includes Ann Savage on piano, Dan Townsend on percussion, David Farlow on guitar and Tim Knorr on bass. They're soft in the solos and boisterous in the ensemble numbers.
Director Kevin Jones, who also plays the narrator and a sly con man, stages the show effectively. With the exception of Richard Brousil, as stereotypically nasty old Edgar Allen Rich, the operative word is projection. Teresa Frakes, as the beautiful Angel, has a nice voice, but much of her lyrics get lost in the accompaniment. This is also true of her love interest, Orphan, played by Matthew Blank. Even Kevin Jones, who can belt with the best of them, occasionally is lost to the music. Matthew Blank and Teresa Frakes, as the love interests, make a charming couple. They are backed up by Eric Gonzales, Jennifer Haaff, Chris Hastings, Dawn Marie Himlin, Jonathan Sturch, and Adriana Zuniga as the chorus known as The Revelers. Still, many in the troupe seem unsure of their rules -- this, even in the final performance! Too many play for a quick laugh rather than an insightful performance.
Costumer Arlene Darden dresses The Revelers in black, adorned, at times, by masks done by Jeanette Baker. Sound designer David Farlow adds richness with his effects. The title song and "Under The Tree" charm (the latter reminiscent of a Fantasticks number). However, this can't offset a score and lyrics that would inspire only aged perverts.
