DATE: Tuesday, July 15, 1997                TAG: 9707140256

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E4   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Theater review

SOURCE: BY MONTAGUE GAMMON III, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   63 lines

WWII SHOW GIVES LITTLE OF EVERYTHING

IN TOUCHING briefly but powerfully on the human consequences of World War II, ``I'll Be Seeing You'' became more than a slickly staged, well-sung revue of the 1940s.

The singing was exemplary, the dancing lively and the lighting some of the best imaginable. In fact, audiences could find almost anything they wanted in the Commonwealth Musical Stage production: song-and-dance numbers filled with swing and jitterbug, tender love songs and young romance.

If anyone wondered how the racial division in America would be handled, it was clearly acknowledged. If anyone wanted their hearts gripped by the effects of the war, the moment was unforgettably provided.

Before the show started, open curtains revealed a set of dark platforms, three screens and a backdrop. The most publicized kiss of the 20th century - the sailor and nurse in Times Square at the end of Ward War II - was projected on the screens and drop.

Featured performers Al Budonis, Bonnie Lambert, and Mary Ann Rayment rendered the title song, ``Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree'' and ``I Don't Want to Walk Without You'' as if they were radio artists.

Images of families gathered around the radio dominated the screens as more vocalists appeared. For the next 10 or so songs, the theme was romance. Then, the lighting changed to a reddish orange, and a somber ``Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,'' sung almost as a dirge, gave the indelible impression that this particular bugler never came home.

The set showed newspaper headlines of America's entry into the war while the USS Arizona smoldered across the backdrop. F.D.R. was heard speaking of a day that ``will live in infamy.'' Men and boys bid farewell to their loved ones with ``Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Good-Bye.'' After ``Strike Up the Band,'' the house lights came up.

In Act II, ``Sentimental Journey,'' ``White Christmas'' and ``I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,'' all very well done, mingled with less familiar pieces such as the patriotic ``Any Bonds Today,'' the vivacious ``G.I. Jive'' and the gently satirical ``When the Nylons Bloom Again.''

When Lambert sang ``When the Lights Go on All Over the World,'' she wasn't just referring to the blackouts. Images of concentration camp inmates appeared on the backdrop. A black woman, cradling a folded American flag, sang ``God Bless the Child.''

Then it was back to exuberance, with ``Sing, Sing, Sing'' followed by ``It's Been a Long, Long Time.'' The closing piece, ``Accentuate the Positive,'' might have been an anthem of the post-War boom.

One of the last projections was a picture of Howdy Doody. Television was on the way.

Besides fine performances from the cast, the singular achievement of director Jeff Meredith and musical director/arranger Chip Gallagher was the blend of popular appeal with intelligent, graceful staging.

Program notes didn't credit any of the 49 songs to particular vocalists. The leads introduced each other, but Angelica-Lee Aspiras, Shirley Barnes, Kathleen Moore, Drew Odom, Kristen O'Donnell, Natalie Phillips, Pat Purcell, Tanya Rollins, Damien Smith, and Steve Tipton must, quite fairly, share the high praise their work earned. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

THEATER REVIEW

``I'll Be Seeing You,'' presented last weekend by the

Commonwealth Musical Stage at the Virginia Beach Pavilion.

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