By Bridgette M. Redman
Katrina Chizek and Apprentice Company in the number "All that Jazz" from "Chicago." Photo: Barn Theatre
The Augusta Barn Theatre celebrated its 65-year history and the re-opening after a dark summer with a revue designed to raise the roof. Performed in the bar/rehearsal hall, "The Great Big Bar Show" was an intimate affair that surrounded the patrons with non-stop musical favorites performed by amazingly well-trained voices that made nearly every number a show-stopper.
Throughout the night, the performers and hosts maintained an easy rapport with the audience, sharing with them bits of history and treating each person as a long-term supporter of the Barn. The pre-show period had the apprentice company in full costume moving through the audience and serving drinks and snacks from the full bar. They exhibited tremendous teamwork that many actual foodservice establishments would do well to learn from. Even as bartenders, the company was performing and completely committed to the entertainment.
Indeed, "fully committed" would be an excellent way to describe both the apprentice company and the Equity performers. Whether bartending, singing, acting or talking to the audience, there was never any hesitation or anything less than complete commitment to whatever the moment called for.
The show's hosts, Eric Parker, Emily May Smith and Roy Brown, opened the show with a number designed to win everyone's hearts and to exult in the successful return of the company. The number was "As if We Never Said Goodbye" with the apprentice company singing "Another Openin' Another Show" as a medley within it.
The first set focused on the years 1947 to 1965 with songs from their first show, "Finian's Rainbow," followed by well-known favorites from "The Music Man," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Annie Get Your Gun," "My Fair Lady," "Camelot" and others. The chorus numbers in particular offer a sneak preview of what is in store for Barn patrons this season as the apprentice company was as vocally strong as any Broadway company that has toured through Michigan this past season. Their harmonization and chord work would make the "Forever Plaid" boys jealous, and they did it all without microphones, proving again that well-trained voices can be heard at multiple volumes. Electronic amplification would have compromised the beauty of these vocalists, aside from being completely superfluous.
When the apprentice company performed a "West Side Story" quintet, the violence between the Jets and Sharks was palpable and the audience tensed as the feuding gangs moved among them. The company also quickly changed accents as they moved from one song to another, never just singing, but always performing and telling a story. They made the most of the tight spaces available to them, executing well the sometimes complex choreography.
While the apprentice company delighted the audience with their talents and charm, the three hosts had many of the show-stopping moments, celebrating some of the finest moments in musical theater tradition. Parker's Val Jean in "What Have I Done" raided goose bumps, while Smith made the most of little moments in such numbers as "Another Suitcase, Another Hall" and "Till There Was You." She and Brown were cutely charismatic in such numbers as "All or Nuthin'" in the Rodgers & Hammerstein medley. Brown also had great fun with the apprentice company when he, as Doolittle, exhorted them to get him to the church on time.
The second set dragged a little, with both peaks of excellence and the few weak spots in the entire evening. Perhaps because everyone's volume and projection was so expertly done, "Mama Says" stood out as being the only time when it was difficult to understand what was being sung.
The final set, which focused on slightly more up-tempo numbers from musicals such as "The Rocky Horror Show," "Hair" and "Sunset Boulevard," moved quickly. The penultimate number, "Seasons of Love" by Jonathon Larson who earned his Equity card at the Barn, brought people to their feet for a standing ovation that couldn't wait for the finale.
The Augusta Barn is back without a compromise in sight when it comes to quality and talent.
REVIEW:
'The Great Big Bar Show'
Barn Theatre, 13351 W. M-96, Augusta. Through June 12. $20. 269-731-4121. http://www.barntheatre.com
