The Winter Park Playhouse
opens its season with the charmingly entertaining “Some Enchanted Evening,” a Rodgers & Hammerstein revue, Matthew J. Palm writes.
“It’s a grand night for singing,” goes the old Rodgers & Hammerstein song, and Winter Park Playhouse opened its 15th season with a grand night indeed.
The Playhouse is the only professional Central Florida theater — meaning its actors and backstage personnel are paid — that is devoted exclusively to musicals. So it was an inspired choice to kick off this milestone year with a salute to two towering figures in musical-theater history.
“Some Enchanted Evening,” a revue of the work of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, is the show onstage, and it’s a real treat for fans of old-school musicals.
Part of its appeal is how it ignores or gives only a passing glance at some of the most frequently heard tunes — “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from “Carousel” or “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.”
There are so many familiar songs to choose from, though, that you won’t miss them. And leaving out a few oft-heard songs makes room for unexpected, underappreciated gems, such as “The Gentleman Is a Dope” and “A Fellow Needs a Girl,” both from “Allegro,” as well as “Don’t Marry Me” from “Flower Drum Song.”
The latter, by the way, is given a lift by the comic stylings of Heather Kopp and Kevin Kelly — along with the clever idea by show creator Jeffrey B. Moss to mash it up with the sappy “An Ordinary Couple” from “The Sound of Music,” also played here for laughs.
Turning songs on their heads works in other situations, as well. In Kelly’s hands, “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria” becomes the song of a frustrated yet besotted lover instead of an ode to a rebellious nun.
Moss is mostly on target with his pairing of songs, though sometimes his medleys raise questions. (Why is “The Sound of Music” stuck between “Some Enchanted Evening” and “People Will Say We’re in Love,” for example?)
Serious moments let director Roy Alan’s cast shine. Captured in dramatic light, Monica Titus sings a beautiful “Something Wonderful.” And Playhouse newcomer Dustin Cunningham’s baritone is electrifying. He quivers with emotion through Billy’s “Soliloquy” from “Carousel,” projects a menacing despair in “Oklahoma!” villain Jud Fry’s “Lonely Room” and embodies regret in “This Nearly Was Mine” from “South Pacific.”
Let’s hope to see more of him in the future — and for many more years of productions at Winter Park Playhouse.