BRUNSWICK – When the Maine State Music Theatre’s 2004 season began with a show called “Pump Boys and Dinettes,” I was totally impressed. Here was a show that had little spoken dialogue and only a trace of a plot. What it did have was a rip-roaring good time in a country western musical review, just a brief snapshot of life at a roadside caf.
After seeing the 2005 season opener, “Swing!,” audiences might see a trend starting. Here’s another show with little spoken dialogue and even less of a plot. And the musical revue here is a wild night of “swing” music at the Savoy Ballroom, complete with an onstage big band and nonstop tunes from such legends as Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington and other giants of the genre who exploded from the 1930s to 1950s. With amazing ballads, soaring swing numbers and some of the most physically dynamic and acrobatic dancing you’ll ever see, “Swing!” makes last year’s “Pump Boys” seem like a quiet walk in the park.
A sultry standout
Riding the coattails of the swing revival of the 1990s, “Swing!” is an enthusiastic tribute to the big-band era and its music. The curtain rises to a solo performer (Maine State Music Theatre regular John Charles Kelly) strumming a ukulele with a reflective “Swing It Brother Swing, It Don’t Mean A Thing.” As the lights rise, a platform emerges from back stage complete with a “small” big band. This serves as the backdrop to a steady stream of great entertainment.
The show’s format is straightforward, alternating ensemble dances, song solos or duets, and the occasional comic number for fun. Directed and choreographed by Ginger Thatcher, “Swing!” moves along swiftly, ringing down the curtain in a bit more than an hour and a half.
There are four principal performers who take the lead in this musical jaunt. The ever-smooth John Charles Kelly, an exceptionally spirited Alan H. Green, a sultry Marie Pressman and a wonderfully poised Amy Bodnar. (In a true case of “the show must go on,” Bodnar’s singing voice was nonexistent due to a recent illness. She lip-synched her numbers with vocals wonderfully provided by theater intern and Farmington native Sally Swallow.)
While the group numbers shine and there are lots of great solos, the most striking vocal performance came from Pressman. With a powerful voice and comfortable stage presence, she sings a gut-wrenching “Blues in the Night,” tugs at the heartstrings with “I’ll Be Seeing You” and shows great comic skill in “Bli-Blip” in which she and Green “scat-sing” their way through an awkward date.
Extraordinary dancing
And did I mention the swing dancers, the ones who do the heavy lifting?
Performing like Olympic athletes, these dancers do the jitterbug, Lindy hop, and strut their swing in Latin and country styles, to name a few. These standouts include Quinn M. Bass, Tome Cousin, Desiree Duarte, Mark Stuart Eckstein, Adealani Malia, Tera-Lee Pollin, Jeff Quast, Amanda Rose, Amy Shure and Jesse Swimm. It is no surprise that many of these dancers have been in previous productions of “Swing!” on Broadway and the regional stage.
The scenic design by Richard Ellis, costume design by Alan Michael Smith, lighting design by Jeffrey S. Koger and sound design by Bridget O’Conner create a perfect blend of nostalgia with an accurate look and feel of the big-band era. A powerhouse of musicians, under the direction of Steven Gross, creates the biggest “little” big band to ever grace Maine State Music Theatre’s stage.
“Swing!” is an unforgettable experience that should not be missed.
Dan Marois is an actor and producer with Main Street Entertainment and Mystery for Hire. He can be reached at [email protected]
“Swing” runs through June 25 in the Pickard Theater on the Bowdoin College campus in Brunswick. For ticket prices and showtimes, call the box office at (207) 725-8769 or go to www.MSMT.org.
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