| Yankee Doodle Doggy | | Print | |
| Written by Ricky D’Alonzo | |||
| Friday, 08 February 2008 | |||
 The Williamsburg Players’ production of George M! is the not the strongest musical I’ve seen on local stages in the past five years. To be more precise: it’s thoroughly and consistently mediocre. Joe Average across the board-virtually nothing stands out as “excellent” or “horrendous”. And there is no evidence of anything unique. I left not wanting more, but wanting better. The exception to this that proves the rule is the brief appearance of a dancing dog-the little guy is remarkable.
Director Peter Natale does as well as he can with the cast he chose. He keeps the pace of the show smooth and adequately quick, and avoids any real disaster (or success). He strongly handles the task of staging a musical with a cast of twenty four on a fairly small stage, and seems to have a knack for Vaudevillian performance that shows in the production. But the negatives outweigh the positives. One problem relates to sound-the volume of the keyboard compounded with the clickety-click of tap dancing tends to drown out the singing. Luckily, the tapping is not incessant, and a profound majority of the songs are heard loud and clear. Loud and clear doesn’t always equal good, however. None of the voices are particularly noteworthy, and there is a general degradation of vocal ability among the many cast members that descends into the realms of sailor-in-the-shower. Brent Rodgers (George M. Cohan) gives what is perhaps closest to an actual standout performance, canines notwithstanding. He capably portrays Cohan’s tenacity and flair, holding the show together. Rodgers’ portrayal of Cohan in the twilight of his life is particularly credible, especially considering he appears to be in his early to mid twenties. Choreographer Dana Margulies does a good job, as always. Unfortunately, the troupe cannot execute her moves with much precision or energy. The numbers, though well put together, are hindered by the cast’s lack of athleticism. This seems to be a trend in community theatre. The actors know the moves, they possess proper rhythm and timing-but their physical conditioning is so far from what it needs to be, that a vivacious and crisp dance performance is impossible. Set Designer Bob Shea does a fine job with the numerous suggested interiors and exteriors. Scenic Artists Pat Richards and Ori Stefaniw prove fantastic with their collage inferring New York City near Broadway, as does Scene Placard Mistress Gayle Snyder. Her signs, brought on stage by a young lady, act as a theatrical device to change locales, and start the next scene. It rings of Vaudeville and even Bertolt Brecht. Strike up the band. Lighting Designer Bob Noonan’s illumination is fine and dandy. He generally keeps things bright. But his best work is the darker atmosphere he creates for the scene at “Rector’s Restaurant” and at the end, when the light is about to go out on the life of George M. Cohan. Symbolism works best when it’s made nice and clear, and that’s what Noonan does. Dommy the Dancing Dog, played by Dommy himself, simply shines. He’s a little doggy, possessing fur that is wavy and black as pitch. Although, in my opinion, he’s not as cute as the golden retriever in the Virginia Stage Company production of Of Mice in Men from back in 2006, he is a far superior dancer. I had the pleasure of meeting Dommy in the lobby at intermission. He nuzzled my hand with his wet snout, then left to go walkies with his Mommy. Obviously, this George M! leaves a lot to be desired. The one uncanny thing that I will remember, probably for years to come, is how consistently mediocre it was- beginning, middle and end. Typically, sections of a play will work, and some won’t, with a good mix of the good, the bad and even some ugly throughout. This production found a strange middle ground, and didn’t stray far from it, other than the handful of quality technical elements. A show honoring the father of American musical theatre deserves stellar singing, acting performances that light up the stage, and dynamic dancing. After all, Cohan wrote many of the tunes synonymous with our county’s heritage, such as: “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, “Over There”, “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, and many more. However, the production of George M! held Over There in Williamsburg was not terribly Grand, and I don’t Give My Regards to it. |
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At first reading of Mr. D'Alonzo's review I was tempted to rebut with an equal or even greater amount of negativity. However, by doing that I would be no different from the style of review that Mr. D'Alonzo practiced which I refuse to do. With that said I would like to stand up and shout 'BRAVO' to everyone involved in this production. Oh, and just to set the record straight, I am somewhat biased due to being involved in the show in a support capacity so those who would make that accusation should sheath their daggers. I am new to the Williamsburg Player's....actually this was my very first involvement with them. From the first rehearsal to closing night there were several things that stood out. The passion of the director, the choreographer, music director...which moved throughout the cast and crew. Watching people who, prior to George M, could only spell 'tap dance' become very proficient in the same...listening to young people in other rooms diligently practicing their lines, songs, and asking help to find their character. Witnessing so many faces filled with anticipation before a show and bright with pride afterwards. Being part of a forming union of 23 performers from all ages and backgrounds to a create a bond that many families have never experienced. And, being in the lobby for twenty-five nights and hearing over one hundred audience members each night (that is over twenty-five hundred people total) make great effort to shake the hands of the cast and each with comments no less than 'Wonderful show'! Well, with all that said, I offer a personal standing ovation to every member of the production of George M! As I see it, the voting results finished somewhere around 2,500+ to 1 in favor of this marvelous show. So my friends of 'Little Georgie'....be proud of your show and your performance as you are well, well deserving of such. To be frank you have no idea how hard we worked on this. We practiced for 2 months on singing and dacing all night. If you say the dog was the best part think again. You must have the passion to do this. And the actors have that passion. So no matter what you say the show must go on. I only thank you for giving us something to talk about backstage. I (and probaly many others) think you should be critiquing food not theater. Sincerely, I'm the (loud) keyboard/musical director for the show, and if I may paraphrase Patrick Henry, let me say, if this be mediocrity, let us make the most of it! Evidently the keyboard and clickety clacking was not so loud, if you heard enough not to give your imprimatur to us. And that little dig of rating us along with sailors singing in the shower, I've not showered with a sailor, but I do accompany services at the Naval Weapons station, and I was never more moved than when a group of them shared worship with us before they shipped out to Iraq, and we sang a chorus of 'Down to the River To Pray' that would have given Alison Krauss pause. I make no apology if our troupe's presentation did not live up to your standards (I was immediately reminded of the high school student teacher we had one semester, who said no one would get above an 'A' because no one in the class could write like Hemmingway. If anything, your remarks have energized our show, and helped us tell the story of George more enthusiastically. And to my wonderful choir of singers, be wary of anyone who suggests that your singing is not stellar and your dancing not athletic or worthy of George Cohan. I have a feeling that Little Georgie is smiling from beyond, and celebrating with us as we tell this version of his family and his life. I'm enjoying the ride, and look forward to the next performance. Keep focused on who we are doing this show for, not ourselves, not for some snobby old critic to take pot shots at us, but to honor the memory and music of George M. Cohan, as well as to honor the tradition of community theater. I may be biased, but I feel we're doing an EXCELLENT job of it. Mr. Harrington - The dance routines were my responsibility, not that of the director. If they seemed overly-ambitious, the fault lies with me and not him. Just setting the record straight. To the person using the pen-names of Nancy, Mary, Joseph, Joe, Henry, Hank, Deuter, Willie, Chip, Smithfield Supporter, Annomous, . . . and on and on: Wow. First of all, I believe you saw the same show that I did and I don't recall seeing it on a Broadway stage. So, I wonder what you are basing this performance on? This is... wait... I'll spell it out for you... C-O-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y T-H-E-A-T-R-E. Please tell me you did not expect to walk into Les Miserables with Terrence Mann playing Javert... I know that it was stated already, but just in case they didn't get through to you, I'll say it again... These are people who work all day/go to school all day/take care of their children and families all day AND THEN find time in their busy schedules to do something that they love to do. Even if some of the people were not to your liking, you should still give them a hand. Peter Natale did not 'do the best he could with the cast he chose.' He chose those members of the cast for a reason. If you don't like the cast, that's fine. When YOU direct the show, you can use your own cast and I sure hope that you 'do the best you can with them,' as well. In addition, I would like to urge you to find a different profession... or maybe what you're doing is too 'small time' for you. Go review shows where people ACTUALLY have gone to school for theatre, who spend their LIVES living and breathing theatre or maybe see people who get PAID to do theatre. They might make you a little happier. This cast is wonderful to do what they do. They dedicate months to something and receive nothing in return, except applause... and I applauded my heart out. Oh... and I'm so happy to have even gotten a ticket, because I believe almost every (if not every) show was sold out for the entire run. So, Bravo! to the Director, his staff and the cast... and to you sir, maybe you should take everything into consideration, before you put ink to paper. You could single handedly be causing someone to not return to the stage, in fear they will be made fun of or be frowned upon. Sorry... one more thing... I believe that only 5 actual tap dancers showed up for auditions - 23 tap dancers were on the stage opening night. To me, THAT is remarkable... not JUST a dancing dog. To be honest, folks, I do not agree with many points of Mr. D'Alonzo's review. In fact, none of them. This play was delightful to me. However, I do take issue with two things. Number one, if a responder cannot supply a name but hide behind a handle such as'theatre lover' while hurling insults at the reviewer, please refrain from writing. Second, I am sick and tired of responders who bemoan the fact that people take time off from their jobs to do shows, and therefore are not subject to standards such as QUALITY! Poor babies, you complain that no one appreciates anything except 'NY' shoes and actors, but when you get a 'NY' review, it's so unfair. If you are that sensitive, don't go on stage. You can't have it both ways. In conclusion, a big Bronx Cheer to the reviewer for sheer idiocy. There, I hope I've offended everyone equally! Mr Natalie, thanx for directing a wondeful show. Next time,though, either get some people who can dance, or tone down the routines. JH Was this guy even in the same theater? There are many talented singers,dancers and actors in this show. I thought all of the Cohans were wonderful, not to mention everyone in the chorus. I would recommend this show to everyone but every show is sold out so really, Ricky, how bad can it be? Did this reviewer see the same show we saw? From the sounds of it, he was at a completely different theatre. Dommy the Dawg spelled it out the way Mr. D’Alonzo should have spelled it out. A cast of people from all walks of life, who spend the day at school and work, and then come to the theatre in the evening to entertain people who also have just come from school and work. There were costumes (too many to count), according to my program there were 29 songs, and I lost track of the dance numbers - I was very entertained along with the other audience members. Maybe Mr. D'Alonzo didn't like the show, but he is in the minority. And when a dog writes a better letter than the reviewer, I go with the dog. Let me just say Megan Crain was amazing! I agree with the above. I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I thought that all the hard work that they put into the show came out well. I think you may be bias through some affiliation you may have, who knows? All I know is that this review is false. The show is great, the actors are great, and the story is touching. I also believe the this is a mediocre and biased review. Ricky D'Alonzo must have gotten out on the wrong side of the bed the day he wrote the review for Williamsburg Players production of George M!. I saw the show and loved it. I found the cast enthusiastic; the singing and dancing entertaining. I believe the director did a fine job adapting the musical numbers to the small stage area. Overall, I found George M! to be delightful. I encourage any theater-goer to hurry on 'Over There' for this enjoyable community production. Ricky D’Alonzo: Sincerely, Dommy the Dawg Just wondering what the heck you were actually looking for to be honest. If you were the director what would you have done, who would you have cast. You have thoroughly disappointed me with this review, and to be honest I don't go by reviews. I go by the audience recommendations, and guess what, as far as I've heard, they have loved it. This is a mediocre review if you ask me. |