A Night of Dancing "On the Town" in Lambertville
(Above photo: Wyatt Kim (Chip), Joan Schubin (Hildy), Louis Palena (Gabey), Jenny McNiven (Claire) and Shan Williams II (Ozzie) during a rehearsal. (Photo by Cie Stroud)
And the show that wins the fish bowl donation/vote is…”On the Town.” When you run a community theatre, the community gets a say in what you produce. Patrons of Music Mountain Theatre in Lambertville asked a show that is full of dancing and tunes not easily forgotten. On stage Aug. 4-20, Music Mountain has given “On the Town” a colorful, pop art, comic book-style look.
Shan Williams II (Ozzie), Louis Palena (Gabey) and Wyatt Kim (Chip) during a rehearsal. (Photo by Cie Stroud)
Fans of the “Golden Age” of cinema, when audio and artistry became of equal quality, will know the 1949 film of “On the Town” for its stars, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, and Vera-Ellen, and its Leonard Bernstein tunes, like “New York, New York.”
New York, New York, a helluva town. / The Bronx is up, but the Battery's down.
(Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green)
The musical “On the Town” is not an adaption of the film but rather the other way around. It was a musical hit for the American Ballet Theatre in 1944, and has undergone several revivals. That’s right, the Ballet.
Jamie Geddes (Ivy) and Louis Palena (Gabey) during a rehearsal. (Photo by Cie Stroud)
One of the female leads, Jamie Geddes (Ivy), dances quite a bit of ballet so that her character can live up to her profile as described in a "Miss Turnstiles" (subway) poster and the admiration of Louis Palena (Gabey), a sailor on leave in New York City.
Geddes and his sailor pals, Wyatt Kim (Chip) and Shan Williams II (Ozzie), are similarly light-footed and drew upon their years of experience in theatre to meet the choreography of artistic director Jordan Brennan. One drew even more, literally.
“I forgot the French words and just drew stick figures,” shared Kim about his notes for the dances. With a short period of entirely donated time for rehearsals, performers in community theatre need to do their homework and come to the next rehearsal prepared to learn the next steps. Kim was 9 years old when he first performed with Music Mountain, just before it left Washington Crossing State Park. Now 24, he learned dancing from the Theatre and while in college but earned a degree in costume design and technology. “It’s not common that there is this much ballet in a musical, but I think we’re killing it.”
Wyatt Kim (Chip) and Joan Schubin (Hildy) during a rehearsal. (Photo by Cie Stroud)
“We’ve come into our own,” says Williams of his dance training and performance. He credits his gymnastics background and “the school of hard knocks” – performing and performing more. “There are some hard-working actors (here),” he said, “and many performances command the audience’s attention.” He added,” and there is some great comedic timing by “the three Js” (the female leads).”
The other two “Js,” are Joan Schubin (Hildy) and Jenny McNiven (Claire). Their characters admire and pursue sailors Chip and Ozzie.
Jenny McNiven (Claire) and Shan Williams II (Ozzie) during a rehearsal. (Photo by Cie Stroud)
Cab driver Hildy, on her last route after having been fired, cooks up a flirtatious, campy song and dance for Chip with “I can cook too.”
I'm a pot of joy for a hungry boy. / Baby, I'm cookin' with gas.
Anthropologist Claire gets carried away and succumbs to a less scientific study of Ozzie.
I try hard to stay controlled, / but I get carried away / Try to act aloof and cold, / but I get carried away.
And yet, the two couples team up to help Gabey and Ivy get together. Unlike the couples’ frenetic courtship, Gabey’s interest in Ivy is sweet and romantic, and reminiscent of a hometown crush, as evidenced in “Loney Town.”
Unless there's love, / a love that's shining like a harbor light, / you're lost in the night
The couples go so far as to have Hildy and Claire pose as Ivy, who they assume Gabey has not yet met.
Despite the thunderstruck grand girls and swell guys, the production, say Palena and Brennan, is “very PG.” “Silly,” says Brennan. “Joyous,” says Williams.
Times Square serves as a backdrop, there are plenty of set changes, and as many as 20 of the resident company dance several numbers together.
Turn off Turner Classic Movies. You want one of the 250 seats in Music Mountain’s contemporary theatre for this live performance.
