THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 24, 1996 TAG: 9601230108
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater Preview
SOURCE: Jo-Ann Clegg
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
It should be a most happy event for managing director Jeff Meredith and the staff of the Commonwealth Musical Stage when the curtain goes up at Pavilion on the Broadway musical ``Most Happy Fella'' Friday evening.
The opening follows on the heels of a string of successful shows, including ``Can Can'' and ``Oklahoma!'', and a couple of major honors for the company.
``We were recently selected by the National League of Professional Musical Theatre Producers as one of the top 10 emerging professional theaters in America and we've been designated by the City Council as the `Official Musical Theater of the City of Virginia Beach,' '' Meredith said. ``It's been a very good season for us.''
Now in its sixth year, the company has a long list of supporters and fans from across South Hampton Roads and a mounting stack of favorable reviews to its credit.
Meredith is firm in his belief that ``Most Happy Fella,'' Frank Loesser's 1956 Broadway offering, will be another crowd pleaser.
``Loesser's `Guys and Dolls' is better known but I think this is his most ambitious and musically significant work,'' Meredith said. ``It's actually a musical play rather than a musical comedy. It anticipated the `sung-through' musical which Andrew Lloyd Webber is doing now.''
Instead of song and dance numbers strung together with a loose plot, ``Most Happy Fella'' is a story told through the songs and underlying music which is used throughout.
The show, set in California's Napa Valley, tells the story of a young San Francisco waitress (Rosabella), an aging vineyard owner (Tony) who courts her through the mail and his young foreman (Joe) with whom Rosabella becomes involved.
It features more than 30 songs. At least two, ``Standing on the Corner'' and ``Big D'' (as in ``big D, double l, a, s) have become standards.
Rebecca Spencer, who starred as Christine in the Houston Grand Opera production of ``Phantom of the Opera,'' plays Rosabella. New York veteran Peak Kwinarian, who most recently played in the National Tour of ``Shenandoah,'' takes the part of Tony. Joe is played by Marc Kettles who was featured in the New York revival of ``By Jupiter.''
While outside talent is brought in for the top parts in Commonwealth productions, much local professional talent is also involved on and off stage.
Commonwealth has a permanent staff of seven and employs as many as 100 people when a play is in production.
Nearly 90 percent of its $500,000 annual budget comes from earned income. The remainder comes in the form of contributions from businesses, individuals and government.
``The national average is 60 percent earned income, 40 percent contributions and governmental support,'' Meredith said. ``We prefer to do it our way,'' he added, citing problems other dramatic companies have experienced as government funding for the arts has been cut back.
A Virginia Beach native who graduated from Cox High School and majored in theater at Richmond Professional Institute (now Virginia Commonwealth University), Meredith had extensive experience acting, directing and consulting with theater companies before returning to Virginia Beach to establish Commonwealth Musical Stage five years ago. ILLUSTRATION: Marc Kettles, left, as Joe; Rebecca Spencer as Rosabella; and
Peak Kwinarian as Tony are the three lead actors in the musical play
``Most Happy Fella'' being performed by Commonwealth Musical Stage
at Pavilion.
Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
WHEN & WHERE
``Most Happy Fella'' runs at Pavilion this Friday and Feb. 2 at 8
p.m., this Saturday and Feb. 3 at 2 and 8 p.m., and this Sunday and
Feb. 4 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $15 to $30; $7.50 for
students. Discounts are available for military, dependents and
seniors.
For ticket information, call 340-5446, the Pavilion box office or
TicketMaster or visit any branch of First Virginia Bank.
by CNB