Ivoryton Playhouse’s “Some Enchanted Evening” a Rodgers and Hammerstein celebration

IVORYTON — It’s a musical-lovers night of “Name that Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein Tune” at the Ivoryton Playhouse in their musical review of “Some Enchanted Evening,” with many song you’ll likely recognize from the first few notes, while others might be unfamiliar, except for the most ardent musical buffs.
Some familiar songs include “I Can’t Say No” from “Oklahoma” and “Maria” from “The Sound of Music.”
Other Rodgers and Hammerstein favorites are there too, including many from “South Pacific” like “I Gotta Wash that Man Right Out-A My Hair,” “There is Nothing Like a Dame,” and the melancholy love song, “If I Loved You,” from “Carousel.”
“Some Enchanted Evening” was conceived by Jefferey B. Moss, with solid direction and spiffy choreography by Leslie Unger, and under the musical direction by John Sebastian DeNicola, who also does the heavy-lifting of playing the accompaniment to the entire show.
The performers are youthful and energetic, with strong voices performing some interesting arrangements of the classic tunes, such as the female duet with Jennifer Lauren Brown and Jenna Sisson singing “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” from “The Sound of Music.”
There are also songs from less popular musicals, such as the amusing and unexpectedly bluesy number, “The Gentleman is a Dope,” from “Allegro,” which is sung by the earthy Patryce Williams.
The guys are strong performers, with Allan Snyder singing some powerful show tunes, such as “Lonely Room” from “Oklahoma,” and “Soliloquy” from “Carousel.”
Kyle Metzger gives expressive renditions of the beautiful “South Pacific” tune, “Younger than Springtime,” but his green goofy glasses in Act II along with that cone head knit hat don’t make a lot of sense.
Uncomplimentary and distracting are the projection screen images behind the singers, by Tiffany Hopkins, that abruptly change from song to song, with some weird images, like elephants with spindly stork legs, and hand-painted images that look strange, like bad imitations of impressionism.
At other times a video images of clouds on the move and then waves crashing serve only to distract from the singers.
The stage design by Daniel Nischan is less than inspired too, with a plastic golden bust of a woman on a pedestal, and empty frames on the walls.
Also odd is Sisson’s business with a paintbrush, sticking out of her boot and then her top as it does when she isn’t using it to pretend paint.
There is some unnecessary and thick is the stage smoke that is piped in, too, perhaps meant to give a sense of a night club scene.
It is probably not necessary to tell those who read this, but in addition to turning off cell phones, texting during any performance is definitely and emphatically wrong.
A woman behind me was texting away in the second act, oblivious to the world around her, and had to be asked to stop. She was also guilty of eating candy from a noisy container. It’s amazing how those sounds cut through the air.
The group’s ensemble numbers are imaginatively choreographed and arranged, and the singers all blend beautifully, and are strongest when they perform as a group.
The music is the thing here. It’s 90 minutes of show tunes, from happy to sad, corny to poignant, and all Rodgers and Hammerstein.

SOME ENCHANTED EVENING

3 Stars
Location: Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton, Conn.
Production: Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammertein II. Concept by Jefferey B. Moss. Direction and choreography by Leslie Unger. Musical direction by John Sebastian DeNicola. Scenic design by Daniel Nischan. Lighting by Doug Harry. Costume design by Pam Puente. Projection design by Tiffany Hopkins.
Running time: 90 minutes including one 15-minute intermission.
Show Times: Wednesday and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through May 2.
Tickets: $38 for adults, $33 for seniors, $20 for students, and $15 for children 12 and under. Call the box office at 860-767-7318, or visit their website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Allan Snyder … Billy
Kyle Metzger … Will
Jennifer Lauren Brown … Julie
Patryce Williams … Anna
Jenna Sisson … Nellie