Staff writer
BEVERLY -- For all the technical wizardry of North Shore Music Theatre's production of "Mame," it was one small woman's supporting performance that brought the audience to its feet.
The show, which runs through May 18 in Beverly, includes 32 actors, 33 stagehands, 58 wigs (six alone for Mame), 220 props, 400 costumes, two revolves around the circular stage, and brand new "ashtray lifts" that allow Mame's home decor to change seven times, as new props rise from below the stage on a number of different platforms.
The story itself has a lot of ground to cover, and with all energy directed to costume and stage changes, the show gets off to a lackluster start. In desperate need of an infusion, Agnes Gooch comes to the rescue.
The story is the "Mame" many will remember. Wealthy New York widower Mame Dennis (played by theater veteran Beth McVey) takes in her orphaned nephew Patrick (Adam Monley/Daniel Plimpton) and his nanny Agnes (Cindy Benson). As each other's only living relatives, Mame sets out to "open windows" in Patrick's life rather than sending him through aloof private schools.
When the Great Depression hits, Mame loses all her money and tries to get back into theater with the help of her sometimes best friend, Vera Charles (Lisa McMillan), who much like Mame, never met a cocktail she didn't like.
After the attempt fails hilariously, but badly, wealthy Southerner Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside (Chuck Wagner) comes to her rescue, but his family is leery of the Yankee in their midst. Mame convinces them, and Burnside marries her. On their honeymoon, he falls off the Matterhorn and she's alone again. Patrick, now in college, has fallen in love with the daughter of an exclusive rich family that shuns society's "riffraff" and once again Mame comes in to show Patrick that living life to its fullest is more important than anything else.
Agnes, Patrick's nanny, isn't intended to play a major part in the story. A tiny woman with no penchant for glamour, awkward Agnes serves as an accessory to the interaction between Mame, Vera, Patrick and the Asian butler Ito (Dominic Lin), and with McVey's and McMillan's commanding stage presence, she could easily have been lost.
Instead, with Benson's comedic touch, she steals every scene she's in, taking the play to another level and bringing the much-needed energy to the rest of the cast. She provides so many belly laughs as she tries to open some windows in her own life, the audience starts to giggle everytime she simply reappears onstage. With that, she turns a good musical with a few laughs into a fantastic musical-comedy that leaves the entire audience attacking NSMT's notorious post-show traffic jam with a big smile.
Combine that with beautiful performances by McVey, McMillan, Ito and the rest of the cast, and "Mame" is a show to remember.
Those backstage (or underneath-stage) deserve a bow as well.
The production is pulled of masterfully, without so much as a glitch. How the actors even manage to keep their breath through the dancing, singing and running backstage for another costume stage is a mystery.
In all, NSMT has put forth one of its finest productions to date, illustrating the potential of their always-professional productions.
By taking advantage of all the nuances the unique circular stage can offer and maxing out its technical potential, it has raised the bar for seasons to come.
The soaring voices and beautifully choreographed dance pieces equally take utmost advantage of the theater's limited stage space but amazing acoustics.
If the audience members haven't lost those smiles by the time they get out of the unbridled anarchy in the parking lot -- many cars wait a half hour or more to escape through a maze of others cutting them while a policeman twirls his flashlight at the one single file of cars -- they almost certainly will be back in the future.
After "Mame," their expectations may be raised, but
this production is proof positive they can meet the challenge.
Copyright The Salem News 2003
Back to Mame
Page
Back to Main Page