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Smiles on tap in Marriott’s ‘My One and Only’
Andrew Lupp and Summer Naomi Smart in “My One and Only.” | Photo courtesy Peter Coombs and Marriott Theatre
‘My One and Only’
Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire
1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sundays, through Dec. 31
$40-$48, with discounts available for students and seniors. Dinner and theatre tickets, $55, are available Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
(847) 634-0200 or visit www.marriotttheatre.com
Updated: November 26, 2012 2:50PM
Can a musical tap its way to happiness?
Certainly! Especially if it is packed with songs by those great Gershwin guys.
“My One and Only” is running at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire through Jan. 6 and from the opening number by the three New Rhythm Boys (Quinn M. Bass, Jarran Music and Clinton M. Bass), through a virtuoso interlude from tap great Ted Louis Levy, to a company kick-line with the formidable Felicia P. Fields, the show is fueled by fancy footwork.
The score includes such treasures by George and Ira Gershwin as “S’Wonderful” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” but it also mines the brothers’ upbeat and rarely heard B-list like “Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah,” and “I Can’t Be Bothered Now.”
A slender story has been created around these many songs. It is 1927 and an ambitious aviator Billy Buck Chandler, played by Andrew Lupp, wants to be the first to fly non-stop from New York to Paris. He interrupts his quest when he falls for Edythe Herbert, who is famous for swimming the English Channel. Summer Naomi Smart, who stole the show in Marriott’s “Legally Blonde,” plays the swimmer.
Both she and Lupp are triple-threats, acting, singing, and either tap dancing or making like Fred and Ginger.
In one of the most dazzling scenes ever at the Marriott, the couple dance barefoot in a pool which circles the perimeter of the stage. The front rows on all four sides of the stage are empty, but some patrons will get splashed. It’s a show-stopper and it took the clear-up crew the entire intermission to mop up!
Despite the predictable plot — boy meets girl, loses girl and weds girl — the story is fun, with Marriott favorite Roger Mueller as Edythe’s corrupt manager, who has escaped from Russia where he has had numerous run-ins with the law.
The aviator’s mechanic is a sassy dame named Mickey, portrayed by pretty Paula Scrofano, who seems completely incognito in a role Thelma Ritter might play. Of course, she and Mueller team up in a hilarious romance at the end!
Felicia Fields plays a female minister who runs a church by day and a speak-easy by night, and as always, she’s a one-woman dynamo.
In every respect this is a feel good show — especially for the holidays.
The production team includes music director Michael Mahler, who won a Jeff Award for “HERO” at Marriott, with multiple Jeff winner Tammy Mader as director and choreographer. To her, bravos for the rollicking chorus lines and hoofers tapping their way to happiness.
