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Show Wild West revue gets awkward indoor premiere audience. (He can even call them "funny-looking" with inoffensive glee.) Liz Nesi is another who shows great comic flair with the audience. au-dience. And her "embar-rased" "embar-rased" takes are wonderful. In another comic segment, Gomes and Gary Cole are less effective doing the famous Smothers Brothers routine on the song "I Talk to band number. The show ended end-ed with a patriotic medley, and here, some of the songs, like "Yankee Doodle Dandy," Dan-dy," called for an orchestra more than a guitar accompaniment. accom-paniment. The group ended nicely with "Battle Hymn of the Republic." I'm not sure "How the West Was Sung" will ever be strong on polish. But the cast can bring the show to life with personality. For us, the Parkites here have the affection affec-tion of past performances. But I think the "funny-lookin'" "funny-lookin'" strangers in Prospector Square will like them too. For further information on upcoming shows, see "What's Going On." by Rick Brough Don Gomes and his troupe should have sung "Don't Fence Me In." The revue "How the West Was Sung" was scheduled to premiere last Saturday in the outdoor area south of the Prospector Square Athletic Club, but stormy skies forced the group inside. The troupe's likeability and talent should win out for them in the end. But first they have to get rid of one or two problems that appeared Saturday night. First, the inclement in-clement weather drove them into the Prospector Square Theatre, an area not suited for their show. Second, the show had some inevitable rough spots. Especially in the dramatic parts, the cast can and should iron out the slow moments, while retaining their ability to play with audience response. The cast rehearsed for an outdoor setting. Instead, thev had to work with the the Trees." They aren't relaxed, and it's too obviously ob-viously rote to them. The choreography that I saw used informal group arrangements and simple geometrical placements that flowed smoothly with the show. Unfortunately, I missed their opening dance number, "Hot Burrito Breakdown," and can only go on promises from the troupe that it's a sizzler. Gary Cole was in fine voice as always. And my only advice ad-vice is to stay away from songs (like an early number) that bring out his Lancelot singing accent. bare, somewhat unfamiliar stage inside Prospector. This contributed to the discomfort visible on opening night. The taped piano music, meant for a hillside setting, was broadcast broad-cast over the P.A. system and sometimes drowned out the singers. Fortunately, there was no piano to drown out the nice lines in Fred Hightower's melodrama. Don Gomes as Dirty Dan threatened poor widow (Liz Nesi) and offered to help her with "creative financing" to build a condo on her gopher farm. The hero, Duane Dwipdwy (Gary Cole) , was introduced with a fashion-show description of his clothes. And the line "There's gold in them hills ! " took on new meaning. The sketch was very rough in spots, but the cast showed they could sell the script with their own good spirits. This is one spot where, as host, Don Gomes displays a good rapport with the The three female voices blended together well. Val Thurnell is a good belter with a tune, but she had trouble being heard over the taped piano. Debbie Rapp had an excellent solo with "People Will Say We're in Love" from "Oklahoma." Nesi's voice is less skillful, but she uses acting ability to sell a song like "I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No." The revue also features a guest star in this case, En-nis En-nis Gibbs. In the better of his ' two spots, Gibbs had the audience chuckling with a poem about the Yukon cremation of the frozen miner, Sam McGee. The show included medleys from two Broadway musicals of the West, "Paint Your Wagon" and "Oklahoma." Since they cover the same ground, one could be dropped if cutting was ever necessary. Gomes' guitarbanjo playing was pleasant, especially in a cheerful jug |
