Arts and Entertainment Review: Asolo Rep's Luck Be A Lady

SARASOTA — Luck Be A Lady, a production of the Asolo Repertory Theater, conceived and directed by Gordon Greenberg, premiered on May 1, at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts and runs through May 24. Once again, the Asolo Rep under the leadership of Michael Edwards brings a gem of performing art to this community.

Audiences familiar with American musical theater are likely to know great names like Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Alan Jay Lerner, Fritz Loewe, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim and others. Frank Loesser may not come to top of mind for many. Yet, if you have heard the music of Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, How to Succeed in Business you would recognize the musical and lyrical genius of Loesser. Think of Heart and Soul, Big D, On a Slow Boat to China, Baby It's Cold Outside and obviously, Luck Be A Lady from Guys and Dolls.

Mary Michael Patterson and Erik Altemus. Photo by Cliff Roles

Luck Be A Lady is a review of selected Loesser songs. His catalog for film and theater includes about 700 pieces written from the decades before, during and after WWII. He typically wrote both music and lyrics which was unusual in his time. But Greenberg's creation is not just a string of Loesser's songs one after the other. He has woven the selected songs together to create a fresh and entertainingly clever musical story.

The resulting tapestry is marvelous. Allow me to quote him as the best way to concisely explain the 'arc' of the show. “I arrived at the idea of a magical setting in an abandoned ballroom, a place were one man returns to revisit his life through music, where all of the characters from his life [including his wife, the 'Woman'] swirl around him and ultimately intersect. The heart of the show became about how these people seek and find connections through music.”

What we saw and heard on stage was a story in music of the 'Man' and the 'Woman' who are portrayed in earlier life by the 'Young Man' and the 'Young Woman'. These characters along with the 'Other Woman' and the 'Other Man' sing and dance the production to show how lives “ultimately intersect.”

As to the actors....Wow! The preceding order of characters were played by W. Joseph Matheson, Louise Pitre, Erik Altemus, Mary Patterson, Stephanie Umoh, and James Larson. These are top level performers with extensive credentials. The individual performances were flawless in singing and choreography... yes, flawless. Adding the collaborative sum of these talented people made the whole beautifully seamless. The six piece orchestra led by Sinai Tabak could not have provided better orchestral support.

James David Larson, Stephanie Umoh and Erik Altemus. Photo by Cliff Roles

Loesser, born to a musical family in NYC in 1910, showed musical gifts at an early age which ultimately took him to Hollywood and then Broadway prominence. Prominence in his case is justified by the human and optimistic quality of his songs styled in a manner easy to understand and relate to. Prominence is also an apt word given his two Tony Awards, four Academy Award nominations, an Oscar and a Pulitzer. The successes of memorable theater and movie works like Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying are artistic, and commercial, testament to his high standing in American musical theater and film.

The combination of Frank Loesser's music, Gordon Greenberg's creative integration of Loesser's works and the highly talented players and musicians make this a production I'd urge you to see. I have attended many musical performances at venues around the world, and can say with confidence that this production of quintessential American pop music is as captivating and well performed a piece of entertainment as any one can see. It seemed to me Friday night's packed audience would roundly agree. For further information go to the Asolo Rep web site http://www.asolorep.org or call the Box Office at 941-351-8000/ 800-361-8388.

Photo by Cliff Roles