'Some Enchanted Evening' at Musicals at Richter' - My Review

It was the first time that I was reviewing a show that I had already seen much of less than a week ago. Yes, the set had been tweaked a little, the actors were in costume and the dark sky over Richter Park required that the lights be turned on, but I still felt a certain familiarity with one of the shows I have been following in my Road to the Show series. I had seen some of these performers at their audition and watched the entire second act this past Sunday, and I completely enjoyed seeing Some Enchanted Evening The Songs of Rogers & Hammerstein come to life on the Musicals at Richter stage in Danbury.

A large crowd was already happily picnicking on the beautiful grounds when my companion and I were escorted to our complimentary seats; I was told that opening night had an even larger crowd. There was even a large table set up perpendicular to the band tent where members of the audience were celebrating someone's birthday.  Most of the audience members brought their own lawn chairs, as well as small tables, candles, bug spray, wine, food, and blankets to wrap themselves in after the sun went down.

Promptly at 8:30, the cast filed out of the Richter house and headed backstage. Donald E. Birely, who co-directed with Lauren Sherwood, took to the stage to welcome everyone and invite us to return for the remaining shows in the season, 9 to 5, Sweet Charity (for the adults,) and the school edition of Grease. It wasn't completely dark yet, but the three musicians in the orchestra hit the first notes of the musical and the show began on time.

The musical review opened with the five featured vocalists singing one or two lines from a beloved Rogers and Hammerstein song. Dressed in beautiful evening wear, Luke Garrison, Monica Enright, Emily Walsh, Robert Bria and Cara Frisina appeared throughout the show. They were supported by other featured singers who performed one or two solos during the evening, as well as a large and adorable youth ensemble. Richter is known for its family atmosphere and this cast was no exception. Several cast members were related in some way.

The show is a concept by Jeffrey B. Moss and is essentially a mix of an impressive list of iconic musical numbers by R & H from their many Broadway shows. Although I recognized most of them, some were less familiar. Solos in evening dress accented with a prop or two were intermixed with numbers in full costume. So "Do, Re, Mi" featured impossibly cute children dressed as the Von Trapp children singing with Ms. Enright. "There is Nothing Like a Dame" included all the gentlemen in the cast and ended with an endearing reprise by the four young boys. The first half of the show ended with "Shall We Dance?" and a first act finale with Laura Kennedy (Bye Bye Birdie) as Anna and the talented full company that brought down the house.

The shorter second act was comprised of smaller but no less enjoyable pieces. "Out of My Dreams" was performed by the "young ladies," and Karin Laine impressively sang "You Will Never Walk Alone." The comic duo of Dianna Waller and Ted Schwartz (both were in Brigadoon last year) almost stole the show with their renditions of the "Don't Marry Me" sequence from Flower Drum Song and  "Honey Bun" from South Pacific. The rousing closing medley included the entire cast and then Mr. Garrison invited everyone "seriously" to join them in singing "Edelwiess," which my sleepy teen insisted he had never heard before in his life. It was the perfect way to end the evening.

The finishing touches of show posters and painting details made the set look even better. There were surprising few lighting glitches for an outdoor theater and the sound was almost flawless. The small orchestra under the direction of Dan Koch sounded great and was just loud enough. The beautiful costumes by DBProductions and  Renee Purdy sparkled under the stars.

As we exited the grounds of the theatre, we ran into Juliette Garrison Koch and Music Director and Naugatuck native Dan Koch, the mother and step dad of the Luke Garrison. This young man has a marvelous tenor voice and will soon be appearing as Enjolras in Les Miserables at the Thomaston Opera House.

Some Enchanted Evening continues next weekend. If you go, wear closed shoes and bring a jacket or a blanket no matter how hot the day (trust me) and bring bug spray.