Gershwin Visits Amherst this Fall

Get Ready to Laugh

If you like Gershwin music and songs, screwball comedies, 1920’s costumes, and dancing that includes everything from ballet to tap, this show is for you. There is not a serious moment in it and that is one of the things that makes it so delightful. It is bright and breezy. With all the Sturm und Drang that bombards us on a daily basis, this oasis of insanity is a welcome respite. Or, as one of my companions succinctly put it, “It’s an antidepressant without the drugs.”

Plotwise, such as it is, tough bootlegger Billie Bendix (Renee Landrigran) must find a place to hide 400 cases of imported gin because the Feds are on her trail. She meets a very drunk, wealthy, oft-married and soon-to-be-married again playboy, Jimmy Winter (Marc Sacco) on the waterfront and finds out he has a beach house no one uses. They share a moment. She steals his wallet and she and her partners-in-crime make haste to the Long Island shore with their contraband. Meanwhile, Jimmy is to be married to Eileen Evergreen (Emily Yancey) the next day and after the ceremony, they unexpectedly arrive at the beach house. Then all hell breaks loose for the next hour and 45 minutes or so. No need to concern yourself about why things are happening and who is related to who, just enjoy the chaos. It all comes together in the end, as befitting the musical style of the 1930s. Think Fred and Ginger with a bit of Marx Brothers thrown in for good measure. Joe Pietro, who wrote the book, credits the writings of Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse (he of Bertie Wooster/Jeeves fame) as his inspiration for the material.

A Clever Caper

Renee Landrigan is an expert at physical comedy. It is almost as if her bones are made of rubber, particularly in the number “Treat Me Rough” with Marc Sacco when she attempts to seduce him with her feminine wiles. She kind of oozes around him between pratfalls. In her number “Someone To Watch Over Me”, her longing for some ease in her life belies her tough-guy exterior. She and Marc Sacco have a charming tap dance in the “‘S Wonderful” number. His dance skills are on full display throughout the evening. His spoiled rich mama’s boy exterior is a cover for a kind and loving heart. They make a good pair. There is great chemistry between them as they alternately gaze into each other’s eyes and spar with each other, singing and dancing their way to romance.

The supporting cast is very much up to the task of being second bananas. Emily Yancey as the snooty Eileen Evergreen is a woman very much in love with herself and she shows it in no uncertain terms in her bathtub number, “Delishious.” 

John Kaczoroski as Cookie McGee, bootlegger turned butler, has the hoodlum vibe down to perfection as he manipulates just about everyone. Opposite him, Charmagne Chi as Duchess Estonia Dulworth channels Margaret Dumont, that formidable personage in the Marx Brothers movies, but this one is on steroids. Jimmy’s aunt, she is a temperance woman, head of a group of “dry women”. The pair have a great time with the song, “Looking For a Boy”. 

Nicole Cimato is the lithe and lovely Jeannie Muldoon, one of the flappers that orbits around Jimmy. She longs to be the Queen of England and when she meets the nebbish bootlegger, Duke Mahoney, played with just the right amount of naivete by Preston Williams, Cookie convinces her he is the Duke of England and she immediately falls in love with the very surprised Duke. 

Bobby Cooke is sweet as the kind-hearted and rather dim cop, Chief Berry. Does he fall in love with anyone? Jon May is Senator Judge Reverend Evergreen, a blowhard politician with a past. Pamela Rose Mangus has a turn as Jimmy’s mother, Millicent, another formidable personage. Lucas DeNies, Michael Kelleher, Kristin-Marie Lopez, Julia Murphy, Adrienne Ricchiazzi-Cummings, and Josh Wilde make up the ensemble. The whole cast shines.

Director Chris Kelly keeps all this madness moving at a very fast, madcap pace. Choreographer Kristy E. Cavanagh does an excellent job with the dance numbers. They are complex and exciting to watch. The first act finale, “Fascinating Rhythm”, with some terrific tap dancing by the cast, is a highlight.

The stage is bare with Art Deco-styled flats on each side whose rounded edges light up in different colors – magenta, green, red. The show opens with the credits in black and white on a large upstage screen that has a glitch in it as if it were in a movie house in the 1920’s. It then projects various locales, all courtesy of Chris Cavanagh, who also did sound and lighting. Flashy costumes by Kari Drozd perfectly evoke the 1920s, as does hair, wig, and make-up design by Susan Drozd. Properties are by Kevin Fahey.

Musical Director Theresa Quinn and her cohorts do George Gershwin proud. She is on keyboards, with John Maguda on trumpet, Jim Runfola on reeds, Jimmy Runfola on bass, and Peggy Scalzo on percussion. Strains of “Rhapsody in Blue” can be heard at times overlaying another piece. The well-known music is wonderful to experience as played by this expert band. 

Great Start to the Show Season

While the music is all Gershwin, Nice Work If You Can Get It is a 21st Century musical, first produced on Broadway in 2012. It contains some biting political humor that would not have appeared in the musicals of the 1930s, and the Act II closing number does not have the “wow finish” of the earlier shows. 

Clever dialogue that is sometimes hilarious is performed with great comedic timing by this large and talented cast. The singing and dancing are first-rate and the music and musicians are terrific. It is an excellent “frothy musical,” and will bring a smile to your face and laughter to your heart.

Nice Work If You Can Get It plays through October 9th @ MusicalFare Theatre.