Peter Felicia (31:22)
Well, I think that the most applause that I have heard for any moment this year happened at the Goodspeed Opera House this Wednesday for the second act opener of I Love a Piano. Now, the Goodspeed Opera House isn't nearly as large as a Broadway theater, but if you were just hearing the applause that was given to Kelly Barclay's choreography, and, of course, the people who enacted it, I think you would be astonished that you weren't in a. Maybe even a Radio City Music Hall. Because the people just had such respect for what was going on there. Because every time you thought that they couldn't do anything else in choreography, they went ahead and did it. So that is really quite something. Now, Mrs. Santa Claus was supposed to be done at good speed. And I don't quite know what happened. I'm not sure if there was a situation with rights with the script. There weren't enough songs. Who knows? Because the movie, the TV movie, is an hour and a half, literally an hour and a half long. So maybe that's a problem. I don't know. But I'll tell you, I don't think anybody who went to Goodspeed to. To see White Christmas was the least bit disappointed that they weren't seeing Mrs. Santa Claus, even though we'd like to see it. Because here we were with a show with all these Irving Berliner songs. Now, the book done by David Ives, certainly one of our most respected temporary playwrights, and Paul Blake, who has a big history with the muni in St. Louis, really, I think, improves the film. I watched the film before I went. And the film begins with the fact that these guys were in the army. Two guys, Phil and Phil Davis and Bob Wallace. Bob Wallace in the film is a star already and played by Bing Crosby. And Phil played by Danny Kay, though he was hardly the first choice. Indeed, we're in the army together. And it seemed that Phil saved his life, Bob's life. And he. He says, yeah, I'm a songwriter. And eventually they become a team. Well, all that's cut. You don't need that. You really don't. And it was. When you see the show, it starts off with Bob. And Phil stars already on stage, happily doing a song, Let Yourself Go, which I think is a very smart thing to eliminate all that stuff. You don't need it. So I think it's a very smart adaptation. Now, in the movie, the they. They happen to be doing a favor for. For an old army buddy who they really felt was unattractive. But he had two sisters and they're in show business. And so, all right, as an obligation they go. What's interesting here is that these guys are looking for a sister act. Sister acts were a big thing back then. And we are talking about way back when in that post war era. So as a result, they want to go there. And among hardest things I thought was the fact that in the movie, both of them sitting at the table and they're looking at the. The sisters on stage and one of them says, oh, the one with the blue eyes. No, the one with the brown eyes. That's the one I like. Well, you know, really, if you're sitting in a nightclub, you know, and you're not that close, can you really notice eyes? I mean, perhaps you can, but I thought it was really smart to make one look at that blonde. Oh, no, the brunette. You know, that makes more sense, you know, that they would notice hair rather than eyes. So I thought that was really a good thing too. I like that quite a bit. It's funny that Michael mentioned the silly chorus girls, because that comes into play here as well. And I do think that's something that people seem to still enjoy. So. So you do have that there. You know, the term slick is often used in musicals for a production that works very well. It seems to be a word that would be pejorative in many situations. You know, like a traveling salesman or. But slick in the musical theater has always been a compliment. And Hunter Foster, sorry, certainly make sure that everything is slick. So there's Lennon Bolton. If you look at Lennon Walton's book, when he reviews. I don't know if he did it, but White Christmas, he talks about the fact that what can you do with the general is the worst song that Irving Berlin ever wrote. You'd never know it here because it's done in a sprightly fashion. The orchestration with. And all that is. Is really very charming. So I. I have a feeling that Lennon Moulton or his associate who wrote the review would feel substantially different. Also, there's a granddaughter in. In the show for the General and who's running this inn that's not doing well at all and needs any help it can get. And these two soldiers are very loyal to him. So as a result, the. They want to help him out. But the granddaughter in the movie is an older granddaughter. She's probably in her 20s. But here's the kid, you know, and I think that's a very good idea too. And the kid did very, very well. And the audience loved Her. She. She has a moment where she gets to sing and dance. And the audience went crazy for her, too. So there's a misunderstanding in the movie that causes a problem in which one of the sisters, Betty, thinks that Bob is doing something for his own benefit and not for the good of the general. Here, it's better. It's still one of those situations where don't tell me, don't talk to me. No, no, no, no. We have nothing to say. It's still one of the things that if indeed the person had a chance to explain, there wouldn't be any complication. The show would end a half hour earlier. But you do need that. So there's that. That. I found it very interesting that the term Sheldrake was used for one of the characters. That's the thing that Billy Wild used time and time and time and time again. And here they used it as well. Also here it's actually the Ed Sullivan Show. It's not the Ed Sullivan show in the movie. It's another Ed. But here they. They used the Ed Sullivan Show. And if there's any reference to an Ed Sullivan show, it seems like you have to have a mention of Topo Ggo. I mean, it's just amazing how that happens. But. But that. But that does happen. So also, what's really ironic is there's a mention of Lucky Strike and how doctors recommend Lucky Strike for smoking, but that comes up in the It's a Wonderful Life at Irish Rep, too. I don't know who got there first, but. But the same line almost word for word. So that was interesting. Now. Now, certainly we have to applaud Clyde Albaz as Phil. We have to certainly applaud Omar Lopez Sapero as Bob Wallace. Yes, indeed. Betty Haynes. Wonderful by Laura Nicole Chapman. Judy Haynes. The other sister, Jonalyn Saxer. Terrific. However, I also want to point out our friend J. Aubrey Jones, who has two small parts, except they're not so small when he does them. Now, what I really want to point out about J. Aubrey Jones, okay, this is such a big hit at good speed that the press agent said to me, listen, I feel terrible, but I'm gonna have to put you in the balcony. I said, that's fine. And I can only give you one ticket. That's fine. No, I understand. You know, you're a big kid. Thank you for accommodating me. So as a result, in this horseshoe situation, I was on House right in the belt and funny. So there's one scene where we're going to have Betty and Bob meet late at night. And so here's J. Aubrey Jones coming on and putting the bench on which they will sit. Now. It's in darkness, understand? But what was so wonderful is that after he put the bench down, I watched him walk off. And the thing is, he walked off in character. The character he's playing is Ezekiel Jones. And it's one of those characters that's one of these Yankees that says, oh, yeah, and right out of the Farmer's Almanac. And the thing is, he has come on before. Now, this is a very dangerous thing that could have happened here. Because indeed, J. Aubrey Jones is a black man. And the way he comes on very, very slowly playing one of these laconic New Englanders. You could really say, o, oh, is this going to be step and fetch it. This is a very dangerous thing that Hunter Foster did. And yet Gerald Aubrey Jones pulled it off in the first time that he said, yeah, the audience got exactly who he was. They knew what was going on. And that was very, very effective. But again, slow loping on, you know, one of these seen it all guys who doesn't get ruffled by what's going on because it'll all work out. But it was so great to see him when the audience could not see him walking off it to the wings in character. That's amazing to me. I love when that happens. And indeed, I really have to take my hat off to J. Aubrey Jones. Although he didn't get the brain teaser this week, but indeed he was busy, you know. So I certainly forgive his non participation this week because he's often right there with the answer. But, boy, does he come up with a terrific, terrific, terrific performance in a very small part. But he does get a moment to shine in the second act. And the audience adored when he did it again. Big, big hit. And I don't think anybody who is connected with Goodspeed while this production is sorry that Mrs. Santa Claus didn't happen.
