Review: 'State Fair' Gets The Blue Ribbon For Family Fun
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
At the end of Act I in Wagon Wheel Theatre’s production of “State Fair”, the whole company is on stage and sings “It’s a Grand Night for Singing” together. Their harmonious voices raise majestically to the heavens, making the audience beg for intermission to hurry up so as to get to Act II to continue the story. “Grand Night” is a fit description of how the whole musical goes. “State Fair”, as performed by this company at the Wagon Wheel, earns its reputation as a Rodgers & Hammerstein classic. Honestly, after having watched the original 1946 movie version Saturday, I had low expectations of this show. It was going to be an “older person’s show”. How could it be as fun as “Hairspray”? But, I was proved wrong (not the first time), and happily so. Before you go to the county fair, go see “State Fair” at the Wagon Wheel. It’s a pig-squealing good time! (bad pun intended) In “State Fair” Abel (Andy Robinson) and Melissa (Sophie Grimm) Frake are going to the state fair in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1946 to compete. He with his hog Blue Boy, and her with her pickles and mincemeat. Along for the fun and to support their parents are their children, daughter Margy (Alex Finke) and son Wayne (Stephen Anthony). Margy has to give an answer to Harry (Nick Laughlin) after the three-day fair as to whether or not she’ll marry him. Wayne has a girl, Eleanor (Alexandra Plath), but isn’t sure where that relationship is headed with Eleanor going to college. At the fair, Margy meets reporter Pat Gilbert (David Schlumpf), while Wayne meets singer Emily Arden (Britney Coleman). Pat and Emily are more “sophisticated” people than Margy and Wayne are used to out in the country. Director Tony Humrichouser weaves the four storylines so well together, and stages them so perfectly, that he deserves his own standing ovation after the show. He knows how to tell a good story on stage, and with this amazing company, Humrichouser can get any person of any age to enjoy “State Fair”. Helping to set the mood is the scenic design, costumes and wigs. They all make you feel like you’ve been transported back 65 years, but without feeling dated. Costume designer Stephen R. Hollenbeck, scenic designer Michael Higgins and wig designer Jennifer Dow deserve much praise for their work on “State Fair”. If all you pay attention to though are the actors on stage, they will not disappoint. For me, if I had to pick one actor to give a prize to, it would be a tough choice, but I’d end up going with Coleman as Emily. She’s not only a good actress, but her voice is like Alicia Keys performing sultry, sexy versions of Billie Holiday classics. You could base a whole musical around Coleman’s voice. Throw in The Fairtones (Noah James Ricketts, Shay Dixon, Brian Martin, Kevin Watson) as her back up singers/dancers, and that’s an act I wouldn’t want to miss. Emily and The Fairtones perform “You Never Had It So Good” in Act I, and “That’s the Way It Happens” in Act II. Look forward to listening and watching those numbers. Of course, Finke is an amazing singer, too, but her voice has this quality about it that reminded me of a young Judy Garland. You may remember Finke from playing Jane in “Tarzan”, so if you were impressed with her singing and acting then, it just gets better in “State Fair”. The best part of Robinson’s performance as Abel is when he gets to do quartet numbers with Lem (Tim Yocum), Clay (Monté Howell) and Hank Munson (Valton Jackson), specifically in the number “More Than Just a Friend”. Not only was the number funny because they were singing about their hogs, but the men’s voices harmonized amazingly. This barbershop quartet sounded as good as any out there. As for voices, I was trying to figure out how best to describe Schlumpf’s. His voice has this particular sound and feeling to it, and the best way I could come up with to describe it at 11:40 p.m. was this: If a great, talented musical actor from the 1940s to ’50s was plucked from that time period and transported through time and space to today, his voice would sound like Schlumpf’s. That’s a compliment, to be clear. Whether he’s playing Clayton in “Tarzan” or Corny Collins in “Hairspray”, Schlumpf this summer season keeps getting perfectly cast. As Pat Gilbert, Schlumpf scores again.Anthony is a good actor, and the boy has some strong vocal ability, but his best scene is when he drinks a little too much and has an emotional outburst with his father. I don’t want to say too much about how or why, but when Anthony cries as Wayne, it’s a heartbreaking moment. Of course, for the audience to feel that, Anthony has to make the audience relate to his character, and he does just that. One “minor” character who stands out in “State Fair” that will have audiences laughing for the time she’s on stage is Judge Heppenstahl (Jennifer Shepherd). Shepherd plays it very well, so well in fact that I didn’t immediately recognize her. In the old movie the role is a man, but Shepherd makes it just as believable for a woman to take on that supporting role. Again, I don’t want to give too much away, but you’ll laugh when Shepherd is on stage, especially after eating the mincemeat. Also, a bravo to Lauren Housel and Devin Dawson for their supporting roles of Violet and Luke respectively. There’s a certain scene they are in with Anthony that’s cuter than a dozen bunnies with bow ties on. See the show, you’ll know what I mean. I didn’t see, hear or feel anything negative about this show. I didn’t have anything blocking my view at any time either. I just had a good time. So, with that, my overall rating of “State Fair”, out of four: 4. To order tickets or for more information, call the Wagon Wheel box office at 574-267-8041, or visit the Wagon Wheel website at wagonwheeltheatre.com
