The Kander Revue brings Broadway to Hall

After a triumphant preview show two weeks ago, a few minor readjustments and even a new number, the revised and refined Kander Revue will be performed this weekend to dazzle the Commencement Weekend crowd.

Famed showtune legend John Kander (OC '51) graduated Oberlin, made it big, and the comeback of shows like Chicago and Cabaret in Cleveland and on Broadway emphasize his impact on the industry. And on a more localized scale conservatory senior Randy Cohen has put together a collection of works to celebrate. And the Kander Revue is hardly the talent show-style production that was put on two years ago when Kander first visited. The moment the curtain rises exposing on sea of musicians under bold blue lighting, it's obvious how much work went into the show.

Boasting a 45-piece orchestra, nine singers, 14 microphones, 1000 feet of cable and director Cohen in the middle of it all, the Kander Revue creates the aura of Broadway entertainment scaled down just enough for Hall Auditorium. With the orchestra set on risers on stage, the music literally takes center stage, as opposed to being buried in the pit as is the case for most productions in the space. Even the orchestra set-up is innovative: two "open-faced" pianos (sans lids) are intertwined in the center of the stage, players facing each other for the whole performance.

While the opening overture draws reminiscent highlights from all of Kander's masterpieces - "New York, New York" being the most obvious and recognizable - the bulk of the program features both well-known selections and less frequently-heard ballads.

College senior Jeff Manwaring follows the overture with, appropriately, "Willkommen," sung with accurately believable accents, and emits incredible strength towards the end of the number. Manwaring, and several other members of the Kander cast, is a Primitive Streak veteran, but hearing the entertainer sing out in this production clearly proves him to be an accomplished musical singer as well as a comedian.

Other stand-outs of the program include conservatory senior Rebecca Garcia's "Cabaret," the title-track to one of Kander's most famous musicals. Her voice reflects an aspect of power, but at the same time, Garcia keeps her audience entertained with a light sparkle in her tone and a playfulness that is essential to musical theater.

College junior Jeremy Ellison-Gladstone, also a Streak member, steals the show with "Mr. Cellophane," ironically, trudging sadly around the stage while female members of the orchestra "look right through" him. But his final notes are so triumphant, his voice so strong, you'd never know he was the guy who supposedly always gets ignored.

In addition to the prime solo performances, the Kander Revue is full of several perky duos. Double-degree junior Simone Perrin collaborates with Manwaring for an upbeat "Money, Money," full of rapid-fire alternation between the two singers, emphasizing her little-girlie voice and his ability to hold a steady character while hitting all the notes.

In "Coffee," Perrin and Ellison-Gladstone, along with conservatory seniors Erica Salinas, Jane Leacock and college senior John Bartley, mesh together for the only semi-choreographed number of the evening, bustling about their overly-busy lives to create the setting for the number. "The trouble with the world today is coffee in a cardboard cup," they sing while sipping their imaginary beverages, and somehow, in a zany, comical way, the phrase rings true. The audience is able to put their own cardboard coffee cup-lives in perspective and laugh at the number, as close to the truth as it is. But that's the beauty of musical theater: being able to laugh at and enjoy everyday life in the form of entertainment - a talent that Kander knows so well.

The Kander Revue is quite a flashy production and might come off as obnoxious for those non-musical theater fans, but for the rest of the rowdy Commencement Weekend crowd, a few good sing-a-longs are the perfect repertoire for the weekend. When John Kander, himself, visited Oberlin for the May 10 preview performance, it was rumored that he was so moved by the show, he was brought to tears. While most of the Kander Revue's attendees this weekend may not have quite as emotional a reaction, the songs highlight the fondest memories of the composer's greatest works, and that's enough to get anyone smiling.

The Kander Revue will be performed Saturday, May 23 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 24 at 7p.m. in Hall Auditorium. Tickets are $14.

Money, money for the honey: Double-degree junior Simone Perrin takes direction from conservatory senior Randy Cohen while college senior Jeff Manwaring looks on. The revamped Kander Revue will be performed this weekend in Hall Auditorium. (photo by John Seyfried