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All of Florida Stage's summer-long musicals have been well-crafted. But none has been as enjoyable as Heaven Help Us! The Swingin' New Rat Pack Musical. The title sums up the show's elements, but it doesn't do justice to the delight of the production. The show, which is getting its first outing at Florida Stage, was written by James Hindman and Ray Roderick, who is also the director and choreographer. John Glaudini created the musical arrangements. It takes a keen understanding of showmanship to shape an entertaining story around old songs, but these guys have done it. The music is glorious. Smart humor evokes both the Rat Pack's '60s heyday and the present. Memorable stage pictures charm the eye. The fast-moving plot cribs from movie fantasies such as Oh, God! and It's a Wonderful Life. God sends Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. down from heaven to prevent Vic, a Las Vegas bar owner, from committing suicide on New Year's Eve 1998. The celestial Chairman of the Board holds them responsible for Vic's condition because Sinatra derailed Vic's life with a careless remark years ago. The celebrities, who only have one night to complete their mission, take over the bodies of a big-time developer, a limousine driver and a bartender. When their efforts falter, God dispatches a reinforcement, Angie Dickinson, who appropriates the body of the developer's assistant. This is a show in which tour de force performances coexist with joyful ensemble work. Stunning solos alternate with brilliant harmonies. Outsized egos give way to comradeship. Eddie Korbich has the biggest stretch, portraying the light-footed, scat-singing black Davis in the body of Bobby, a stocky white Jewish bartender. Wait until you see him play Davis impersonating Jimmy Stewart, James Cagney, Bette Davis and others singing What Kind of Fool Am I. All Marcus Neville needs is a hat to transform Saunders, the developer, into Sinatra, ice-cool and in command. Julian Rebolledo elegantly downs martinis and glides through slippery vocal idiosyncrasies as Martin, temporarily in control of the body of Jeorge, the driver. Jodi Stevens burns up the stage as the leggy Dickinson, the alter ego of the priggish Katherine, Saunders' assistant. Adam Pelty's Vic is awkward, hopeful and resentful by turns - the ideal foil for his out-sized guests. Meanwhile, this turbo-charged four-piece band never misses a beat. The show's pacing is perfect. The creative team knows when to insert tunes such as I'm Gonna Live 'Til I Die, performed in three-part harmony at a sprinters' pace, and when to bring on numbers such as Neville's smoky solo turn in One for My Baby. In
a summer unusually blessed with superior theater, this show clearly leads
the pack. The musical runs through Sept 5 at Florida Stage, 262 S. Ocean
Blvd, Manalpan. For tickets, call 585-3433. |
