It is charmingly appropriate that Mercury Summer Stock is situated
in a cozy time capsule, the 1950ish auditorium of Parma High School.
The accumulated effect of this resourceful company is akin to a
youthful restorative at the malt shop. Every summer, this troop offers
a refreshing dip into two brands of camp: the high-fructose giddiness
of a gay sensibility and the reveries of summer excursions where
budding young thespians have greasepaint pumped into their blood.
You have one last opportunity this summer to partake of their
trademark insouciant theatrics with Me and My Girl. This lighthearted frolic is a 1980s revamp of a prewar English musical.
For those with a prurient interest in the mundane, here is the plot:
It’s a bit of archetypal fluff about a family of snooty Mayfair toffs
trying to Eliza Doolittle-ize a Cockney heir to their fortune. What
makes this piece sparkle is its score by L. Arthur Rose, Douglas Furber
and Noel Gay. The score is an example of 1930s English music hall at
its best. The infectious Lambeth Walk became a dance sensation on two
continents.
Director/choreographer Pierre-Jacques Brault once again reveals
himself as a sublime camp counselor. A Prospero reigning over a
frolicking gambol of emerging talent, charismatic eccentrics and “never
say die” painted warhorses, he manages to transform the divergent parts
into an ebullient whole. The lingering virtues of his low-budget
productions are a joyful ingenuity, ramshackle enthusiasm and unspoiled
camaraderie.
The Cracker Jack prize in Brault’s work is his penchant for throwing
in the unexpected — for example, the incongruity of a quote from
Fiddler on the Roof‘s wedding dance or a gleeful leggy
steal from Busby Berkeley.
Even better in a Mercury Summer Stock production are the endearing
unplanned moments where sets and untrained actors take on a life of
their own. At one moment, a window fell and briefly hampered the star’s
solo number. During another, a befuddled actor tried to decide how to
retrieve his fallen glasses in the middle of a jungle of prancing
dancers.
Rarely will you find a show so engaging that you feel compelled to
treat the entire cast and crew to pizza. Bring your coupons; this may
be the time.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2009.
Mr. Joseph, you remain the lovable Addison DeWitt of all things Cleveland and theatrical. I love reading your reviews!