THEATER REVIEW : ‘Quilters’ Cut From Homespun Cloth

If you need an antidote--as I did--to the phony romanticism of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Aspects of Love,” which closed Sunday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, you might try “Quilters” at Muckenthaler Cultural Center’s new Theatre on the Green.

It’s a matter of taste, of course. But as my companion remarked about “Aspects,” “If you didn’t know it was sincere, you’d think it was a musical parody. At least with ‘Quilters,’ you feel you’re getting something authentic.”

It is worth noting that my friend’s taste runs to Stephen Sondheim and Frank Loesser. Among her favorite musicals are Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” and Loesser’s “The Most Happy Fella,” which indicates as much as any two shows could that romantic material doesn’t turn her off.

And “Quilters” has little or no romance. It’s largely about courage and fortitude.

An all-female frontier musical written by Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek, it comprises episodic vignettes recounting pioneer times on the prairie. They are pieced together, like the show’s beautiful handmade quilts, with a craftsmanship that values homespun cloth yet demonstrates a professional luster.

In the wrong hands, “Quilters” could become quaint and languorous. As I’ve noted previously of an almost identical 1990 production for the Laguna Playhouse, the vignettes have a tendency toward the elegiac.

But under the direction of Teri Ralston, who staged this show with most of the same players three times in Laguna Beach and once in Los Angeles, this production is funny as well as touching.

Like those earlier Ralston productions, this “Quilters” is performed by a cast of seven women whose verve and lack of nostalgia give it the unsentimental pulse of life. If anything, two new players--Anna Lisa Erickson and Lulie Newcomb Sabella--lend added humor, spunk and musicality.

The players reprising their roles have lost nothing, especially Tricia Griffin, who still has the show’s most affecting dramatic moments, and Karen McBride, who seems to have acquired even more dignity as its matriarch.

And the acoustic trio--led by musical director Mark Turnbull on guitar and everything from cowbell to a bull-roarer--retains a quirky country sound.

“Quilters” at the Muckenthaler also has the charm of being set under the stars. The newly rebuilt Theatre on the Green, which seats 246 people, is an intimate venue embraced by attractive gardens. And just a few paces away is the Mediterranean-style Muckenthaler mansion, which has long housed an art gallery.

In launching its 1993 maiden summer season with this presentation, the Fullerton Civic Light Opera not only has brought back to the site a tradition of outdoor theater absent for the past three years. It has taken wise advantage of the surrounding ambience with a gallery exhibit of contemporary quilts--courtesy of the Flying Geese Quilters Guild--that enriches the artistic context of the show.

Finally, a consumer note: some Playgoers may find the metal benches a bit narrow. You can bring pillows or rent them from an on-site concession (along with blankets). As for the food, I didn’t sample any. You’re on your own.

* “Quilters,” Muckenthaler Cultural Center Theatre on the Green, 1201 W. Malvern Ave., Fullerton. Tuesday to Sunday, 8:15 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday $20; Thursday through Sunday $28 and $29 with dinner (doors open 6:15 p.m.). Ends July 10. (714) 650-5269. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Karen McBride: Sarah

Colleen Dunn: Margaret

Anna Lisa Erickson: Dana

Tricia Griffin: Lisa

Carolyn Miller: Jenny

Lulie Newcomb Sabella: Jody

Katie Steiger: Janie

A Fullerton Civic Light Opera presentation. Book by Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek. Music and lyrics by Damashek. Directed, choreographed and co-produced by Teri Ralston. Musical direction by Mark Turnbull. Musical accompaniment by Turnbull, Donna Accorda and Mary Ann McSweeney. Set design: Doug Williamson and Jacquie Moffett. Costume design: Marthella Randall. Lighting design by Steven Wolff Craig. Sound design by Nelsonics. Sound technician: John Ostby. Lighting technician: Mark Dirnberger. Stage manager: Nancy Staiger.