REVIEW: As Thousands Cheer - Landmark Musicals

RAVING RICHARD RADIO REVIEW, FOR BROADCAST LIVE ON JUNE 25, 2008: KKIM, 1000 A.M., ALBUQUERQUE, AND 94.7 F.M., SANTA FE

AGAIN,GREETINGS FROM THEATRELAND! THIS WEEK, MY COMMENTARY ON LIVE THEATRE FOCUSES ON A PRODUCTION CALLED "AS THOUSANDS CHEER," PRESENTED BY LANDMARK MUSICALS, PLUS A PREVIEW OF THE SHOW AT THE VORTEX THEATRE. INCIDENTALLY, BOTH OF THESE THEATRE COMPANIES ARE MEMBERS OF ALBUQUERQUE THEATRE GUILD,

LANDMARK MUSICALS IS A RELATIVELY NEW GROUP, BUT ARE OFF TO.A SUCCESSFUL START-BOTH WITH A LINEUP OF NOTED ACTORS, AS WELL AS PRODUCTION PERSONNEL-PLUS IT'S A MEMBER OF THE ALBUQUERQUE THEATRE GUILD. "AS THOUSANDS CHEER" WAS A BIG HIT ON BROADWAY BACK IN 1933, AND WAS CREDITED WITH MORE THAN 400 PERFORMANCES. MORE RECENTLY, IT RAN OFF-BROADWAY, WHICH IS THE VERSION DIRECTOR HAL SIMONS CHOSE TO PRESENT HERE, WITH ZANE BARKER HIS LIGHTING DESIGNER.

IT IS A MUSICAL, WITH SONGS BY IRVING BERLIN AND SKETCHES BY MOSS HART. THE CAST IN NEW YORK INCLUDED SUCH FAMOUS STARS AS ETHEL WATERS AND CLIFFTON WEBB, WHICH MEANT BIG SHOES FOR DIRECTOR SIMONS TO FILL. TO MENTION A FEW TO REPRESENT HIS ENTIRE TALENTED CAST, JULLIAN FOSTER AND ERIN WARDEN HAVE THE MOST PROMINENT SINGING AND ACTING ROLES-AND BRIAN CLIFTON HAS RETURNED FROM NEW YORK TO PLAY A NUMBER OF PARTS IN THIS PRODUCTION. BRIAN, WE'RE SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK.

THIS IS LANDMARK'S FIRST PRODUCTION OF THE SEASON, AND HAS SCHEDULED ANOTHER REVIVAL THIS FALL, "SHOW TUNE" BY JERRY HERMAN WHO WROTE "HELLO DOLLY" AND "MAME," AMONG OTHER GREAT SHOWS. (BY THE WAY, IVE BEEN IN BOTH, BACK IN CALIFORNIA!) LANDMARK STAGES ITS PRODUCTIONS AT THE N4TH THEATRE, AN IDEAL VENUE: COMFORTABLE SEATING, A LARGE STAGE, AND FEATURES STATE-OF-THE-ART SOUND AND LIGHTING.

"AS THOUSANDS CHEER" RUNS WEEKENDS THROUGH JULY 13 (EXCEPT JULY 4, BUT WITH A 6:00 PERFORMANCE ADDED ON JULY 6) AT VSA NORTH FOURTH ARTS CENTER, 4904 4th N.W. FOR TICKETS, CALL 344-4542.

FOR SHAKESPEARE BUFFS, A PARODY ON THE BARD'S GREATEST TRAGEDIES, "OTHELLO" AND "ROMEO AND JULIET," OPENS THIS WEEKEND AT THE VORTEX THEATRE. THIS COMEDY BY ANN-MARIE MacDONALD IS CALLED "GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA," SUBTITLED "GOOD MORNING JULIET." IT'S A COMEDIC STORY ABOUT A UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR WHO'S OBSESSED WITH PROVING HER THEORY THAT THESE GREAT SHAKESPEARE TRAGEDIES WERE MEANT TO BE COMEDIES! SOUNDS HILARIOUS, AGREE? I'LL REVIEW IT NEXT WEEK, AND FOR DATES AND TICKETS, CALL THE VORTEX AT 247-8600.

AGAIN, THANKS FOR LISTENING TO THESE RAVING RICHARD COMMENTARIES, BROADCAST HERE ON KKIM, 1000 A.M., ALBUQUERQUE, AND SIMULCAST ON 94.7 P.M., SANTA FE; ALSO SEEN ON THE INTERNET, BOTH AT KKIMAM1000.COM AND ALBTHEATRE.ORG. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK, AND THANKS FOR CONTINUING TO SUPPORT LIVE THEATRE.