‘Strut’ Is Really a Mosey

A Sunday matinee of the Long Beach Playhouse production of “All Night Strut!” produced in at least one member of the audience an uncontrollable desire to rush home and listen to the original recordings of the music featured in this revue of songs from the ‘30s and ‘40s.

There was a special sound to pop music in that era. Audiences were trying to smile through a Great Depression and to keep the home fires burning during a world war. It was a happy sound, even when it was blue or had a tear in its eye. It was alive and ultimately warmhearted, with an immense amount of inner energy.

People under 40 today may think it’s corny, and maybe their parents and grandparents were a little naive, but the bobby-soxers and zoot-suiters thought they were going to build a better world, and these are the tunes they listened to while they were trying.

In any case, there still is a great deal of pleasure to be found in sitting back and listening to this music and these words, and in watching a quartet of capable entertainers re-create the performing atmosphere that characteristically went along with them.

But the Long Beach troupers, their director Marla Gam-Hudson, musical director Janet Smith and choreographer Diane Woodward just miss by an inch in their efforts to evoke the energy and sincerity that made these songs so popular. Watching their “All Night Strut!” is like watching a USO show at the end of a long tour.

Gam-Hudson doesn’t begin to use Andrew Otero’s effective nightclub setting as interestingly as she could, and Woodward’s choreography is uninspired. Janet Smith’s musical direction is sound, but enthusiasm doesn’t filter through as strongly as it might, in spite of fine accompaniment by pianist Pro Mojica.

The four singers all are good. But baritone Jere Jon and tenor Rhett Thomas are the only ones who realize that even in such a small space, one has to project. Thomas’ clarity and crispness are especially welcome during such ballads as “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” and “As Time Goes By,” and the rich patina of Jon’s voice gives intensity to all his solos.

Melissa McCarl’s soprano--when the audience can hear it--works well in such numbers as “I’ll Be Seeing You.” But Deebye Meyers’ alto doesn’t often reach even to the first row. And her mugging and overdone emotional reactions to lyrics sung by the others are unnecessary and distracting.

Several in the audience were overheard commenting on the hard time they had hearing the singers during the softer passages. Microphones might help. But they won’t supply the energy behind the voices that this material needs.

* “All Night Strut!” Long Beach Playhouse Studio Theatre, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. Ends Oct. 19. $15. (310) 494-1616. Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Jere Jon: baritone

Rhett Thomas: tenor

Melissa McCarl: soprano

Deebye Meyers: alto

Pro Mojica: piano

A Long Beach Playhouse production of a musical revue by Fran Charnas, directed by Marla Gam-Hudson. Musical direction: Janet Smith. Choreography: Diane Woodward. Scenic design: Andrew Otero. Lighting design: Michelle Wolfson. Costume design: Donna Fritsche. Sound design/stage manager: Dan Knecht.