Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 2, 1994 TAG: 9409020044
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KAREN L. DAVIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The community theater group also presented ``The Music Man'' in 1992 and ``Oklahoma!'' in 1993.
``Mame,'' by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, was one of the most successful musicals of the 1960s. Set in New York from the late 1920s through the mid-1940s, the story centers on an eccentric and well-to-do woman, Mame (played by Ruth Johnson of Christiansburg), who takes in her orphaned nephew, 10-year-old Patrick (played by Scott Call of Christiansburg).
The responsibility of raising a child and the alien feeling of being needed by someone dramatically change Mame's boisterous and carefree lifestyle.
Much to the chagrin of some other well-meaning but narrow-minded folk, Mame deems it part of her newfound maternal duties to expose Patrick to all of life's riches, from art and ballet to a school for nudists.
When the great Depression hits, however, the good times end, and Mame loses her fortune. But life soon rewards her again when she meets and falls in love with Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside (played by Todd Halwas of Blacksburg), a wealthy Southern plantation owner.
Meanwhile, Patrick has grown into a young man (played by Geoffrey Knobl of Christiansburg), but he's about to make the biggest mistake of his life by marrying the wrong girl, unless Mame intervenes.
Johnson endows her character of Mame with humor and charisma. She possesses an excellent singing voice, as is evident in her renditions of ``It's Today'' and ``If He Walked Into My Life,'' among other tunes.
The musical production values of the show are excellent, although at times, some of the singers' lyrics are drowned out by the instruments simply because the microphones are not as strategically positioned as they should be. At least, this was a problem on opening night in Virginia Tech's Haymarket Theatre, but hopefully it has improved with successive presentations.
Donald Williams of Christiansburg conducts a sizeable pit orchestra that includes reeds, bass, cello, percussion, trombones, trumpets, viola, violin and piano.
Williams, assistant principal for Auburn Middle and High School, holds a master of music education degree from James Madison University.
Choral director Elaine Matuszek is an academic adviser at Virginia Tech in the University Studies program. She is also the music director at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Blacksburg.
The cast is an amalgam from across the New River Valley.
A few cast members are Virginia Tech professors.
Chorus member Mike Ogliaruso is an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. Bob Benoit, who plays a funny and loud-mouthed Claude Upson, Patrick's father-in-law-to-be, is a biology professor. And Ed Bunce, who plays Dwight Babcock, is a biochemistry professor.
Sarah Williams, a rising senior at Pulaski County High School, plays Agnes Gooch, young Patrick's severely repressed and inhibited nanny, who is ultimately liberated by Mame's love of life.
Call is charming in his role of young Patrick, but his voice was one that did not project well enough on opening night for lack of a closer microphone. A member of the Montgomery County BoyChoir, Call appears relaxed and uninhibited on stage in all singing and speaking scenes.
Carol Cole of Christiansburg, a Virginia Tech graduate with a music degree, makes her acting debut as Mame's bosom buddy, Vera. She is delightful in her renditions of ``The Moon Song'' and ``Bosom Buddies'' with Mame.
Other lead cast members include Alan Graham, Jeff McCoy, Babs Ogliaruso, Sarah Shoemaker, Sharon Donohue, Robbin Nuckolls, David Robinson and Peggy Martin.
There are also dancers and adult and children's choruses rounding out this sizeable production.
Sets, consisting of a painted background with interchangeable window scenes to denote different settings, are decidedly low-budget. However, the interchangeable window design cleverly keys in on one of the show's theme songs, ``Open a New Window.''
Despite the set simplicity, some scene changes seem interminable, allowing the audience to get bored while waiting for the curtain to reopen.
``Mame,'' directed by Karen Taylor of Pilot, continues through Sunday at Radford University's Preston Auditorium. Performances are at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8 for general admission, $5 for retired persons and $4 for students and children. For more information, call the information desk at Heth Student Center at 831-5420.
by CNB