STAGE REVIEW : The Music Makes for a Nostalgic ‘Radio Hour’
LAGUNA BEACH — “The 1940s Radio Hour†is a 90-minute paean to vintage pop music, pieced together with nostalgic slice-of-life glimpses of America from behind the broadcast microphones of WOV, “the voice of victory,†coming to you live from New York City on Dec. 21, 1942.
At the Laguna Playhouse, the music always pops and sometimes even sizzles. Music director Bill Doyle and the onstage band (led by the estimable Terence Alaric) squeeze some tasty juice out of such great old tunes as “Daddy (you oughta get the best for me),†“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy†and “I’ll Be Seeing You.â€
The very worthy ensemble of vocalists, nine in all, do justice to the tight harmonies and other, almost nonstop requirements of a variety show in which even the commercials are sung by the company. Except for Warren Kevin Draper, who squeaks by on a middling Sinatra impression, the soloists bring personable style to their interpretations of the well-known songs.
Adrienne M. Johnson stops the show with her renditions of “Hit Me With a High Note†and “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good).†She has the phrasing and soul of a true balladeer, and although her hot licks are decidedly ‘90s, there’s no denying their temperature.
Walton Jones’ story lies a little flat and bloodless, as cartoons are wont to do, and director Mark Stevens has trouble controlling the focus through the whirlwind exposition. But once in a while the production hits the jackpot with a character that fairly leaps off the page.
Brooke Wilkes milks an entertaining contradiction out of her characterization, a bubble-headed blond who turns on the torch in front of the microphone. And Tim Dey’s slouching scarecrow of a wanna-be matinee idol has some hugely funny moments as he schemes and dreams his way into the solo spotlight. His over-the-top version of “Blue Moon†finds a delightful comic balance between buttery vocals, melting over the radio waves into living rooms across America, and a hilariously geeky physicality to which only the audience is privy.
The studio mise en scene allows the audience to enjoy the trappings of the innocent days of radio: the blinking applause sign, precursor to the laugh track; the ingenuous, baldly sentimental advertising that jingled promos for everything from soap to cars to laxatives, and especially the ancient art of the sound effects man, re-created lovingly by Steven Oprychal with help from his eager assistant, Peter Edward Koehler.
The caricature of a set and the silky lighting, both by Don Gruber, are up to the usual high standards of the Laguna Playhouse. Lori Martin’s flattering costumes complete this rosy rhapsody to those bygone days when life was full of heart and hope and the air was full of music.
‘The 1940s Radio Hour’
A Laguna Playhouse production of the play by Walton Jones. Directed by Mark Stevens. Musical direction by Bill Doyle. Set and lighting design by Don Gruber. Costume design by Lori Martin. Sound design by David Edwards. With Terence Alaric, Bree Burgess, John Ross Clark, Tim Dey, Warren Kevin Draper, Andy Hedden, Peter Edward Koehler, Adrienne M. Johnson, Bart McHenry, Paul Leighton Nygro, Steven Oprychal, Michele Sheehy, Barry Wallace and Brooke Wilkes. Continues Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 and 7 p.m. through Dec. 13 at the Moulton Theater, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. $23-$29. (714) 494-8021 or (714) 497-9244. Running time: 90 minutes (no intermission).
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