THEATER REVIEW : STARLIGHT’S ‘MADAM’ IS BUBBLY, FUN

The Starlight got the ball rolling Thursday on its 42nd season by presenting the Irving Berlin musical “Call Me Madam.” Unlike the bulk of the old musicals that keep popping up on the summer circuit, this vintage ‘50s musical comedy is rarely revived, not even by die-hard preservationists the likes of Starlight.

The songs are catchy and tuneful, but not nearly the best Berlin composed in his prolific career, and the libretto by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse was just an excuse to showcase the brassy style and bugle-voiced power of Ethel Merman. Other “madams” appear doomed to second-fiddle status when they follow in that musical comedy queen’s footsteps.

Fortunately, Lainie Nelson, last summer’s Mame, can hold her own in this larger-than-life assignment. She belts out the Merman songs with a lilting voice and plenty of effervescence. And, although she lacks the earthy veneer that was part and parcel of the Merman magic, Nelson makes an engaging presence as she traipses through the motions of the heavy-handed lady ambassador.

Nelson is particularly appealing when she teams up with Michael Magnusen (the bookish young secretary who falls head over heels for Princess Maria) for a slick rendition of the show’s biggest crowd pleaser, “I Hear Singing.” Their jaunty duet is a doozy, and it perks up the production when it needs it most.

“Call Me Madam’s” flamboyant Sally Adams, the hostess with the mostes’ on the ball, was modeled after Perle Mesta, one-time ambassador to Luxembourg (although the authors protested that any resemblance is purely coincidental). The play seems naively quaint in this day and age as it lampoons politics, American foreign policy, high finance and the Washington social whirl of the Truman era. As usual, many of the topical jokes fall flat on contemporary audiences.

Most of the music is forgettable. But a double romantic twist, and enough state affairs to keep the dancers on their toes much of the time, help “Call Me Madam” bubble along to its obligatory happy ending, despite obvious weaknesses in the plot.

Veteran director Gary Davis, after three years of staging musical comedies in the close quarters of the Lawrence Welk Village Theatre, made his Starlight debut with this production, relishing his opportunities to spread the action around on Starlight’s expansive outdoor stage. Davis even allowed the ensemble to spill out into the aisles for the festival scene.

Playing to an enormous house, such as this outdoor amphitheater, requires exaggeration and gestural intensity. Unfortunately, Davis allowed some of the supporting cast to wallow in excesses that sunk too deep into caricature. Casting mistakes in a couple of cameo roles compounded the effect.

Donald Craig, as the aristocratic object of madam’s affection, was too stiff and aloof to connect with his heartthrob, but Ray Stewart’s bluster as Sally’s charge d’affaires garnered its share of laughs. Vanessa Vandergriff was mismatched with Magnusen as the young lovers from different worlds.

There were few opportunities for choreographic invention, but Carl Jablonski (whose list of Broadway and TV credits is impressive) seized them all with gusto, setting his ensemble in motion at the drop of a hat--first for a lively peasant polka, and later for some vigorous American-style ballroom dancing.

Tara, Starlight’s resident costume designer, had a field day with the glamorous gowns and ‘50s-style formal wear for the show, and Ken Holamon was successful in adapting the borrowed set to the massive contours of the Starlight stage. Barbara Du Bois, another newcomer to the Starlight family this year, lit the action very well.

Musical director Milton Greene is back in the pit for “Call Me Madam,” and the orchestra was in fine fettle for the opening night performance.

Starlight-goers take the noisy interruptions from overhead aircraft right in stride, as do the apparently unflappable members of the company. But during Thursday’s opening, they had to contend with a different kind of aural assault in the midst of Act I. It sounded like fireworks were going off in another part of the park.

No matter. In spite of all the annoying outside interference, the Starlight is music to the ears of San Diego musical theater buffs, and they turned out in droves for the season opener Thursday night.

“CALL ME MADAM”

Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse. Director, Gary Davis. Choreographer, Carl Jablonski. Costumes, Tara. Scenic design, Patricia Ryker. Scenic coordinator, Ken Holamon. Lighting design, Barbara Du Bois. With Lainie Nelson, Donald Craig, Ray Stewart, Vanessa Vandergriff and Michael Magnusen. Musical director/conductor, Milton Greene. At 8:30 p.m. through June 28 at Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park.