By Katie Dodd
I have been going to see plays at the Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre for many years. I’m not sure how many performances I’ve seen there—they’ve started to blur together. Some performances have blown me away; others I did not return to after the intermission. However, this June’s show, On the Town, directed by Debbie Barber-Eaton, made me laugh more than any others I’ve seen at ASGT.
I hadn’t seen On the Town until Saturday’s 8:30 p.m. showing. Seated in my evergreen lawn chair beneath a clear, starry sky, I had an open mind about the musical, which is actually based on a ballet called Fancy Free .
A small orchestra upstage, conducted by music director and pianist Ken Kimble, started the show with a rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.” An appropriate beginning, as On the Town , which takes place in 1944, is a story of three sailors on leave of their ship in New York City for just 24 hours. These three seamen, played by Ryan Kearney, Jason Vellon, and Nathan Bowman, charm the audience from the very first scene as they share the excitement of their temporary freedom.
On the sailors’ first subway ride, by which they plan to see all of the Big Apple’s infamous sights, “Gabey” sees a photo of Miss Turnstiles of the month, Ivy Smith, and immediately falls in love. He makes it his mission of the day to take her out on a date, and his two friends promise to help make it happen. In the process, each sailor meets some unexpected, and somewhat peculiar characters—a drunken voice teacher, a man-crazed fiancé, and her soon-to-be husband, a fellow by the name of Pitkin W. Bridgework—creating a hilarious sequence of events.
I was impressed by the creativity used to construct New York life on stage. Particularly, a typical, Big Apple taxi, created by several of the ensemble wearing yellow rain jackets twirling black umbrellas (the wheels) crouched around two chairs (the driver and passenger seats). The singing, especially by the three vibrant leading ladies Hannah Thornhill, Monica Anselm, and Ali Guidry, and dancing were also excellent.
At times, the microphone system got a little wacky, or temporarily stopped working. However, I found myself so caught up in the plot that I hardly noticed this minor disruption. So, although last Saturday’s performance was not filled to capacity, I imagine as the word gets out about On the Town , the crowds will flock downtown for a night of comedy and music. For more details on the Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre's On the Town, which runs through June 21, click here.