Thursday, November 14, 1996
After 70 years of making musical history, "Show Boat" makes its
way to L.A. for a revival that is as timeless as Old Man River
himself.By Cheryl Klein
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
f set size is any indication of a production’s magnitude, "Show
Boat" is going to be big. The Cotton Blossom riverboat, which
houses most of the epic revival’s action, measures 25 feet tall and
48 feet long. Of course, the 73-member cast, the 500 costumes and
four-decade time span of the plot also hint at "Show Boat"’s sheer
enormity.
Yet the musical’s grandeur doesn’t stop at physical components.
First performed in 1927, "Show Boat" brings with it a long history
of talented contributors and social awareness. Beginning Sunday,
the Ahmanson Theater will play host to the latest production of
Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s dramatic tale of life on the
Mississippi.
"This show is 70 years old and it’s really being examined by a
whole generation of theatergoers that have never seen it," says
Kevin Gray, who plays the dashing-but-dangerous Gaylord Ravenal.
"What’s amazing is it’s 70 years old and it’s probably still the
best score on Broadway."
"Show Boat"’s storyline reads like the juiciest of soap operas:
Innocent Magnolia Hawks (Teri Hansen) lives on the Cotton Blossom
with her parents, the domineering Parthy (Cloris Leachman) and the
happy-go-lucky Cap’n Andy (Ned Beatty). They float peacefully down
the river, performing for audiences of the 1880s with the help of
Joe (Michel Bell), a sort of universal handyman who keeps things
running smoothly.
"(Director) Hal Prince added Joe to more parts of the play,
almost like a Greek chorus," Bell says of his character. He sings a
few lines from "Old Man River" in a smooth deep voice that conjures
up images of a current rolling over boulders in the water. "Joe
reminds us that we’re still on the boat. New things come and go,
but Joe and the river stay the same."
In the meantime, things move swiftly for Magnolia. She meets and
falls in love with Ravenal despite his nasty habits of gambling and
womanizing. Inevitably, he ends up leaving her and their young
daughter, but Magnolia perseveres. With the help of her best friend
Julie (Valerie Pettiford), she forges a successful singing career.
Yet Julie has problems of her own. She is an African-American woman
who tries to pass as white, but eventually her secret escapes and
her white husband leaves her. Pressure mounts and she turns to
alcohol.
"I think she’s beaten so much she finally gives up," Pettiford
says. "But she fights all the way … It’s basically alcohol and a
broken heart. People can die from a broken heart by just feeling
there’s no way out."
It is such timeless and serious issues that take "Show Boat"
beyond musical fluff. And what modern viewers may find though
provoking, early audiences found downright shocking.
"Can you imagine a writer in 1927 writing about slavery, about a
man leaving his wife, about addiction?" Hansen says. But this is
exactly what novelist Edna Ferber did and people literally stood up
and took notice.
"In 1927 the audience was silent for a full minute and a half
after the play was over," Bell adds. "They just sat there in
silence and then they gave it a standing ovation."
"Show Boat" was a sharp turn from the vaudevillian goofiness
that characterized most stage performances of the time. Never
before had the cast been integrated and social commentary mixed
with slapstick hilarity.
"It was the beginning of Hammerstein understanding that if you
want things to be dramatic, you can only do it in balance with
comedy because you need the relief so people can go on to the next
greater emotional level," Gray explains. He likens the approach to
pulling a rubber band  testing the audience’s tolerance for
tension, letting them relax, then stretching them a little
farther.
Bell cites Joe as an example of this simultaneous optimism and
social consciousness. "Joe looks at life as a challenge. He sees it
as a chance to better oneself. Being an African-American in that
time period, opportunities are less than favorable. But he keeps
his cool and tries to speak out for his personal plight when he
can."
It takes a lot to put together a show of such proportions, but
the ensemble cast was up for the challenge. Different performers
joined at different stops along the tour, each bringing a new
background to the production. While Gray has a history of doing
Broadway shows and can quickly compare "Show Boat" to any number of
musicals, Hansen is new to musical theater.
"My background is in opera and this is very different. The music
in ‘Show Boat’ is almost operatic though," she says. "Although the
musical demands are less challenging and I do miss that. But I love
the acting."
Pettiford devoted her early career to dance, an ability that
comes in handy when trying to move with poise and grace in heavy
floor-length costumes. She describes a dance scene in which the
African-American characters show off their favorite dance moves in
the kitchen of the Cotton Blossom.
"It’s kind of our safe haven within the show," Pettiford says.
"You get to see the black characters not having to be with white
society, just how they would freely be."
At that point, Magnolia enters and teaches them a contemporary
party dance she has just learned. "It’s step-touch, step-touch,
very controlled, very minuet. And we’re like moving of the hips,
very earthy, very African. That’s our heritage."
Along with diverse backgrounds come different attitudes toward
doing a revival. Countless stage renditions, two movies and Â
for Pettiford  playing the same part as one of her favorite
actresses made for a hard act to follow.
"The girl who (played Julie) originally was Lynette McGee whom I
absolutely adore. She’s been my idol for years. And it’s hard to
fill her shoes. The good thing about it is I never saw her
performance so I couldn’t even steal anything," Pettiford says. "It
took me until now to really feel comfortable that I finally,
hopefully, had made a good mark with Julie."
As the actors get to know their parts, they also become more
comfortable with each other, to the point where the closeness of
the cast parallels the theatrical family of the Cotton Blossom.
"These people have become my family," Hansen says. "We share our
joys and our sorrows, just like the characters in ‘Show Boat.’ Even
my dog comes to our rehearsals and he’s a part of it all too now,"
she laughs.
The backstage technicalities alone call for exact communication
that can only be achieved through hours of practice with trusted
co-workers.
Gray describes the huge mechanical sets that the actors must
dodge, saying, "Just the backstage choreography is probably three
times as complicated as anything that’s going on onstage."
Bell adds, "You have to do everything exactly as it’s planned.
You can’t just decide, in the middle of a set change, to go to the
bathroom."
But for the cast, it’s all part of what makes "Show Boat"
exciting. And despite the many performances behind them, Bell
expresses an almost giddy attitude toward the L.A. run.
"I’m just slaphappy," he says. "It gives me goose bumps."
THEATER: "Show Boat" opens Sunday at the Ahmanson Theater.
Tickets $35- $75. For more info, call (213) 628-2772.
Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s classic musical "Show
Boat," directed by Harold Prince and starring Teri Hansen, Cloris
Leachman, Ned Beatty, Michel Bell, Valerie Pettiford and Kevin
Gray, returns to port this weekend.Livent Inc.
Cloris Leachman and Ned Beatty in "Show Boat."Livent Inc.
A scene from the revival of "Show Boat," which opens this Sunday
at the Ahmanson Theater.