Stage Reviews : Superficial Vaudeville Saga in ‘George M!’

It’s probably a mistake to see “George M!” soon after seeing “Gypsy.” Both shows are up-through-vaudeville sagas about people with indomitable wills, but “Gypsy” makes “George M!” seem awfully pale and superficial.

This 1969 saga of the life of George M. Cohan, written by Michael Stewart and John and Fran Pascal, is too reverential toward its subject. The shadows on the man’s success--his unhappy first marriage and his battles with Actors’ Equity--are treated perfunctorily.

The use of Cohan’s own music thwarted any efforts to take the show deeper, for Cohan’s tunes (at least as heard here) are anything but deep. The rah-rah is relentless.

Santa Barbara City College Theatre Group has revived the show with a professional director and three Equity actors, in addition to a large cast drawn from the community and college, but the production still hovers on the edge of professionalism.

As Cohan, Lloyd Gordon propels the proceedings along with the requisite energy and a fairly strong voice, but his aging in the second act isn’t very convincing. Albert Lantieri’s staging lacks the precision and drive that a more experienced cast might deliver.

At the Garvin Theatre, on the west campus of Santa Barbara City College, Cliff Drive, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.. Tickets: $10-$12; (805) 965-5935.