By Vicki Paris Goodman
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Sweet romance, soaring harmonies, and musical comedy so good your face will hurt from smiling ear to ear for two happy hours. That’s what you get with The Andrews Brothers, Musical Theatre West’s West Coast premiere production of Roger Bean’s new 1940s wartime musical.
Stan Chandler, David Engel and Larry Raben, three of the original four cast members of Forever Plaid, join the delightful Darcie Roberts to sing and dance, stutter and wheeze, and do a show-must-go-on charmer of a USO performance when the Andrews Sisters can’t make their gig.
Roberts sizzles, and her chemistry with Raben is off the charts. Roberts’ Peggy thinks Raben’s Patrick is cute, cute, cute. And oh, he is is is.
The show probably doesn’t fully utilize the considerable talents of Chandler and Engel, but who cares? They’re both great even when not called upon to do juggling or acrobatics, and when Engel isn’t challenging his vocal chords to slide from counter tenor down to bass in one fell swoop.
They fall all over themselves on first meeting Peggy, who finds their nerdiness flattering and funny. They’ve been waiting for their big chance to do a show and think they have to hide their true identities to see their dream come true.
The stage fright is palpable, Patrick’s asthma worsening by the minute. He can, he can’t, he can, he can’t…and then, he does. And so do the others.
The curtain goes up for the second act and the Andrews brothers are the Andrews Sisters…minus a little ladylike finesse here and there.
Dresses, high heels, wigs and make-up take them only part way there. Broad vocal ranges that permit raising the pitch into the female’s range, and a lot of sexy strutting and batting of eyes, take the performances home.
Fabulous oldies, some all too familiar (“Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” ) and others rather obscure, were well selected. Every number’s a humdinger.
The show-within-a-show has its pratfalls, garment “problems” and general screw-ups – flaws that make it just perfect…perfectly adorable, that is.
The Andrews Brothers continues at The Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 Atherton Street in Long Beach (on the campus of Cal State Long Beach), through May 4. Tickets range from $25 to $53 Special pricing is available for children, teachers, CSULB students and groups of 12 or more.
Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., plus Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
Call (562) 856-1999 ext. 4 for reservations and information. Information is also available online at www.musical.org.
