Cast, choreography, costumes give ‘I Love a Piano’ a lift
I’m pretty sure the wooden star of the latest show at Winter Park Playhouse is too heavy to lift and has been around the block a time or two. No personal attacks here: The star in question is a piano.
“I Love a Piano” is a tribute to the music of Irving Berlin. It’s boosted at the Playhouse by the good-spirited cast, some snappy choreography by Roy Alan and a fashion parade by Seth Schrager and Angelica Rose Trombo of eye-catching ensembles from the turn of the 20th century through the 1950s.
The show’s concept — following a piano through 40 years of its lifetime — is a good one. But it feels lazily executed by writers Ray Roderick and Michael Berkeley.
The female roles at least have faint wisps of stereotypical personality — the ingénue, the sassy gal, the grande dame. The male roles have to rely almost entirely on the charms of the actors, so it’s a good thing director Lourelene Sndecker has on hand impish Alan, along with gung-ho newcomer Nick Drivas and steadfast Larry Alexander.
For the women, Kari Ringer — who just made her local debut in Florida Theatrical’s “God of Carnage” a few weeks ago — once again impresses, both comically and musically. She revs up “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” carries Alexander (physically, not musically) during a dancecontest sequence and performs an onstage quick change while wondering “What Are We Gonna Do With All The Jeeps?”
Meredith Pughe has an appealing sweetness on “What’ll I Do,” and Lauren Culver perfectly captures every moment of sadness and anger in “Suppertime.” Other old favorites are trotted out: “God Bless America,” “Easter Parade” and “White Christmas,” in which Drivas unfortunately pushes his otherwise impressive tenor into stridency.
But most important is the life musical director Christopher Leavy injects into the show with his playing. But in this show, we want to hear those tinkling melodies of “Cheek to Cheek” and “How Deep Is the Ocean.”
Sure, we love a piano — but without the pianist, it’s just a hunk of wood and strings.