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Show I 'Shenandoah' Shines Among the Trees at Sundance j Photos and Story by Anne L. Burnett - v r : jp . " . -'v 1 , - . , ' St 4 - J rfW - A..,T ' j .... f 1 'a. IT3 si V- I .-1 -iV,'" . J ' X ! r;, W"'" - v-: 4 v ; - v "VT . , .-.V- . .. ' : v" vv.. i l i . -. -. '''' v ' , , V ' :- " " J " ' . ..,v ? " ws.,- - -j ' p t - ' - X s " '?-' i : .- . i' " " '' ... , ( .- . ' w "'- ' " , ' " V : . -. - - ; : r X ' : J if..; -i, : v : i -...... - . ; The Sundance Summer j Theater production of i "Shenandoah" was not only ! a truly enjoyable evening of ! theater but an example of j quality theater done out- i doors in ; a unique atmos- ! phere. j The old-time "PG" musical I is about a family's plight j during the Civil War. A strong-willed widower played play-ed by Ken Eklof is left with five sons and a daughter all eager to see the world or "fight" whichever comes first. But dad is not to be convinced, he says only the undertakers can win the war saying "he "heard it all before" including ihe patriotic patrio-tic and holy reasons to fight. As the widower, "Charlie Anderson", Ken Eklof is a treasure in the part. When he stands firm to his grown sons telling them that there is no reason good enough for him to sacrifice one of their lives in the war, we, the audience, believe him this man loves his boys. The musical was written after the Civil War and as the old saying goes, hindsight is terrific. When hindsight is applied to the Civil War I think few would argue the point with Pa Anderson. But the pure beauty of this production of "Shenadoah" is Eklov's performance. His acting is strong and though the wireless microphone tends to camouflage the warmth in his voice, it is there. Director Jayne Luke has made the most of her Sundance ski resort setting among the trees by bringing some of the action off the stage into the surrounding areas. It allows Eklof to sing some of his most beautiful songs at the left side of the audience. He reminded me of a young Harve PresncII whom you may remember from the film and stage play of "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" starring Debbie Reynolds. Eklof is that good. His rendition of "The Pickers are Coming" was especially nice but the song he sings after the death of his two sons managed to bring tears to the audience's eyes as well as his own. The musical does have its sad moments and may even be called contrived at times but this show moves along at a bright pace with strong acting and singing. That strength is evident in performances by M'Lisa Bailey as Pa Anderson's daughter "Jenny" and her husband, Sam, played by Lonny Eschler. Baily's and Eschler's acting are first-rate. first-rate. Eschler really hits the mark in a comedic moment when he attempts and finally ' succeeds in asking Pa Anderson for Jenny's hand in marriage. As is true today, we weren't sure whether he was asking Jenny's dad or telling him. The relationship between the youngest Anderson boy played by Todd Credaloli and his friend, negro slave, "Gabriel" played by Isaac Thomas, is a central thread running through the production. product-ion. Thomas is short but obviously much older than Credarloli. Thomas has a strong stage presence which helps offset Credarloli's weak singing abilities. Their numbers have charm and appeal all their own, so who cares if one of them can't hit the high notes. The four oldest sons were played by Tal Kuhre, Matthew Mat-thew Ball, Craig Call and James Claflin. Nearly all the dancing in the show was done by them. Their first big dance number was "Next to Lovin' I like Fightin'Best". It was a little slow in getting off the ground but was well choreographed by Ms. Luke. The four men were attempting attempt-ing to sing a lot and dance some tough steps which could explain why Luke staged it at a slower pace. However, in doing so I felt it lost some of its "knock your socks off" energy, but it was by no means a failure. It was, however, strongly athletic even to the point of including push-ups. "Shenandoah" is a charm-, ing, quality production that shines among the tall trees at Sundance's uutdoor theater. All the actors are wireless Ken Eklof as "Charlie Anderson" steals a touching moment in Shenandoah "miked" so the sound is excellent and the audience is able to feel some of the outdoors that helps transform trans-form the area into Anderson's Ander-son's farm. With minimal set pieces and simple lighting, the effect is well worth the $4.50 ticket price. The show plays through July 7, Monday through Saturday starting at 8:30 p.m. From July 14 throuah September 4 it will alternate with an original production by Ms. Luke called "Satin Lady". Sundance has redone the park areas at the base of the resort complete with barbe-que barbe-que pits-so take your dinner , and go early. Remember to take a coat and some blankets to stay warm after the sun goes down. E 111 i , : ft '. I i. t ' .- : .. . 1 ) . ' ! , ' I : -: .- - i - . yj . : i , , : . : " ' . , -va.s-- . j ' V,.. .. .... ; 5 . -. pp. . i - :p-p'; .- .'SlTSw Isaac Thomas as "Gabriel" and Patricia Tiffany as "Anne" sing out in Shenandoah. r. . ' : l ' . " ' ' 1 ' , '-.' ' f i ' i ; ' , " " " r' i s 1 - . y ' K ' I p ' - ' . " : ' i f f : - ' t ' . ""- " ' i t .s. . 'l ' : ' ... ' ' V.J : . . . : . I : . j - - , . , - : U's;;v:,,.,v , 'i:.-V.V.; '' " , iCpJ. v:'., . ' . . v-.,' .VJ?1 LJli , "Pa Anderson's" boys kick up their heels in Shenandoah. Shenandoah's "Confederate Army" marches out of the trees next to Sundance stage. I I |