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| Suzy Hunt and Dennis Bateman as Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert in the rear and front, Kasey Nusbickel as Anne in Village Theatre’s new musical, “Anne of Green Gables” Photo by John Pai/Village Theatre |
Review: Anne of Green Gables: A New Musical based on the novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Book, Music, and Lyrics by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman. Produced by Village Theatre. Directed by Steve Tomkins and Vanessa Miller. Choreography by Steve Tomkins and Kristin Culp. Musical Direction by R.J. Tancioco. With Kasey Nusbickel, Suzy Hunt, Dennis Bateman, Carissa Campbell and Matthew John Kacergis. Now through January 2 at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah and performing January 7-30, 2011 at the Everett Performing Arts Center.
No, I wasn’t surprised that Village Theatre’s new musical version of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic children’s novel, Anne of Green Gables was sickeningly sweet and liable to cause seizures in diabetics. I mean, it’s a given and there’s nothing wrong with that. I LIKE sweet things, if they’re done well, and the familiar story of the orphan girl Anne Shirley and her life on Prince Edward Island at the turn of the century (19th to 20th) is beloved for a reason. It’s a charming, family friendly story that has been enjoyed by generations of people all over the world. (Fun Fact: Anne of Green Gables is HUGE in Japan…I’m talking Godzilla huge; half of the gross revenue earned on Prince Edward Island might come from Japanese tourists…but I digress.)
But, the problem with this new musical version of the story isn’t the “sweetness” of it. The problem lies with the creators of this adaptation. The book of this musical is clunky and not suited for a musical and the music is dull and unmemorable. The creators have captured the heart and spirit of the original but failed to translate it into acceptable or interesting theatrical terms. And, it’s not all their fault; the original novel is NOT very suited for the theater. The story is very episodic; there is little through line; and it concerns principal characters who have to age from 11 to 17. But because the adaptors, Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman, have chosen to be very faithful to the original novel, the story and flow of the theater piece is stunted. The first act moves fairly briskly as we meet the chatterbox young orphan Anne Shirley and she has a series of adventures in her new home of Avonlea but the second act is dull and slow moving as the character ages and goes off to college. It’s truthful to the novel but mind numbing onstage. The piece calls for a bold reinterpretation and restructuring of the source material in order for it to succeed and the authors failed to meet that challenge.
The music also fails. A fellow theater critic whispered into my ear at intermission, “They have two melodies; a slow one and a slightly faster one…” And, I added, “Neither one is very interesting.” We have a stirring opening number, an ode to the wonders of “Avonlea” that really didn’t stir me very much. There’s a patter song, “Positively Providential” that aspires to be delightful in a Sherman Brothers/Mary Poppins sort of way but it’s a dismal flop that the talented actresses can’t save. Several numbers (and lines) refer to darling Anne and the fact that it’s “Anne with an E” and the dullness of the songs made me long to return home and pop in my dvd of “Cabaret” and watch “Liza with a Z”….anything with a little pizazz in the music. Oh, and the big show stopper number which comes halfway through Act Two? It’s an ode to “Puffy Sleeves” as in muttonchop dress sleeves and it’s a dull ripoff of a number from “Hello Dolly”. None of the music seems original, or clever, or even very melodic. You don’t leave this production whistling any of the tunes.
The only things that save this show is the charm of the original story, the usually splendid design work by the team at Village Theater, and some chipper performances by talented local actors who deserve better. I’ve raved on here many times about the delights of Suzy Hunt and she’s in fine form here as the dour spinster Marilla Cuthbert, Anne’s reluctant new foster parent and it’s nice to see Ms Hunt not play a boozy drunk for a change, but she does seem a bit embarrassed at times singing those dreadful songs. Dennis Bateman was fine too as her quiet brother Matthew and he has enough talent to tackle a number as inane as “Puffy Sleeves” and try to make it work as a form of entertainment. Cheryl Massey-Peters was an audience favorite as the nosy neighbor, Rachel Lynde and the rest of the adult actors gave a good show as well.
As for the “kids” in Anne of Green Gables, we have to face the facts that the actors, by and large, did a fine job portraying these characters but have to acknowledge another issue in this show. They’ve cast young actors, primarily in their 20’s I’m guessing, to portray characters that have to age from 11 to 17 through the course of the show and I don’t think it works. I understand that theaters prefer to work with adults if possible; it’s easier and less complicated than working with actual kids but I think it hurts this show. You need to see authentically YOUNG actors playing these roles to make it more convincing and real to the audience. To be honest, they probably should have cast age appropriate child actors for the first act and older actors for the later scenes in Act Two. Yes, it would be more expensive, but as it is now, I think it would be one of the ways to save this show.
The actors were fine, though unbelievable as young children. Carissa Campbell was charming as Anne’s new best friend Diana Barry and Matthew John Kacergis made an appealing leading man as Anne’s rival and eventual Object of Mutual Affection. But, the show IS called “Anne of Green Gables” and it’s ALL about the Anne and Kasey Nusbickel did a fine job as the Canadian chatterbox despite the fact Ms Nusbickel was probably 11 years old sometime in the middle part of the Clinton Administration. She’s a charming actress and a lovely singer and the entire time I was watching her I kept thinking she would make a lovely Maria von Trapp in “The Sound of Music”…Village Theater please take note for future reference.
Who’s this for? Die hard “Anne” fans of all ages though younger kids will probably be a bit bored. (Kids tend to like musicals WITH kids in them…the whole “relatable thing”) Families looking for appropriately family friendly material. People who look forward to “Little House on the Prairie: The Musical (it exists and probably coming soon to the Village, I’m guessing…)
– Michael Strangeways
