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Lies and Legends
By Rob Stevens
Harry Chapin was a very unique songwriter. His songs were long, involving stories, filled with ripe emotion and heartbreak. Each song was like a mini-novel set to music. Most had a dark edge to them, or were filled with bittersweet regret. There are many lovely soulful ballads and a few uptempo happy tunes contained in Lies and Legends--the Musical Stories of Harry Chapin. The show's subtitle is "A celebration of the music of the late great Harry Chapin" and a celebration is exactly what's currently rocking the stage of the Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura.
Director George Ball and choreographer Lee Martino have assembled an amazing quartet of talented singer/actors to bring Chapin's stories vividly to life. They have staged the nearly two dozen numbers with pinpoint precision. The dramatic and the musical qualities of each song leaps from the stage, taking hold of the audience's emotions. Frank McKown's lighting design is a great mood enhancer, as is the fantastic four-piece band, especially the haunting cello of Pamela de Almedia and the musical direction of Gary Poirot.
Each member of the cast gets a chance to shine brightly as a star in several songs, and then they provide great backup to their fellow singers in other numbers. These five performers are a closely-knit ensemble. It's difficult to choose one to mention before the others, so this writer has chosen to extol their perfection in alphabetical order. Dina Bennett's vocals provide the pain, anger and anguish in "Dogtown" and "A Better Place to Be" and the wistful romanticism of "Old College Avenue" and "Shooting Star." Kirsten Benton's soulful voice brings "Mr. Tanner" and "Tangled Puppet" to life. Her acting prowess is shown to amazing effect in her few moments in "A Better Place to Be" and in her wordless reactions to Douglas Crawford's touching rendition of a shy prairie farmer's welcome of his "Mail Order Annie." Crawford dazzles with his vocal pyrotechnics and plumbs the depths of melancholy love in the classic "Taxi" and "Corey's Coming." Walter Winston ONeil brings a jaunty devilish quality to his more comic numbers, "Odd Job Man" and "Get on with it" while also displaying an amazing vocal instrument. Greg Zerkle's rich baritone stuns the audience as it washes over them in "Mr. Tanner," "W*O*L*D" and "Cat's in the Cradle." Ball and Martino have staged the first act finale "Sniper" with breathtaking realism.
But Lies and Legends isn't all "slash your wrists" numbers. There are some hysterically funny stories that these talented performers really sail into, such as "Bananas" and "Salt and Pepper." Lies and Legends is truly a celebration of both the late great Harry Chapin's work and some wonderful musical theater talents. Get to Ventura immediately.
The Rubicon Theatre Company's new season begins Oct. 12-Nov. 5 with The Rainmaker, starring Stephanie Zimbalist. Following are The World Goes 'Round Nov. 30-Dec. 24, The Glass Menagerie Mar. 1-25 and The Boys Next Door, May 3-27. For more info: (805) 667-2900.
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