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Tuesday, 27 June 2006 15:57 |
As the last show I was able to catch during The Stoneleaf Theatre Festival, I attended the cabaret ?®War Bonds?∆ by EbzB Productions at North Carolina Stage Co.
The show was not so much a play, as it was a collection of letters back and forth from World War II soldiers and their families and songs from the era. The entire thing was arranged by the husband-and-wife team that founded EbzB, Serena Ebhardt and David Zum Brunnen. The two also served as the performers for ?®War Bonds.?∆
I
thought that the idea for the show was solid. Combining the moving
words of war veterans and their loved ones with classic songs like
?®Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy?∆ and ?®As Time Goes By,?∆ made for a most moving
and entertaining piece of theater. The other members of the audience
seemed to think so, too. The near packed house was constantly full of
people either dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs, or singing along
with the numbers. They especially seemed to like when Ebhardt would go
out into the audience and sing with the crowd.
That was actually the point when I took issue with the show. The way it
was arranged, both Ebhardt and Zum Brunnen would read the letters and
interviews with the soldiers and riveters, but when it came time to
sing, Ebhardt did all the numbers by herself. The only number this was
not true in (with the exception of a few ?¥doo-wops?? from Zum Brunnen)
was ?®Don??t Sit Under the Apple Tree...?∆ and that was the one the
audience seemed to respond to the most.
While I thought the show was a great way to remember a fascinating
period in history, I thought that the format of it was too contrived
and seemed too aimed at showcasing Ebhardt??s voice. She had a great
voice, but it made Zum Brunnen look kind of silly to sit there onstage,
watching her perform.
The sound also got on my nerves, to some extent. Both actors in ?®War
Bonds?∆ wore body-microphones that were tucked behind their ears. In
case you haven??t attended a show at N.C. Stage??s theater, it is an
intimate theater with fairly close quarters, in which the audience
almost never has trouble hearing what the actors are saying.
Most songs from the World War II era are pieces that lend themselves
well to a large, belting voice. Ebhardt had the voice to sing those
songs, but every time an opportunity presented itself to either belt or
hit a high note, I could tell she was backing off for fear of getting
feedback from the speakers or of blowing out the eardrums of the
patrons. It kept her from showing off what she could really do and made
her head-voice sound a little weak.
All of the songs in the production were played on a keyboard by Diane
Petteway. Petteway played with such quality that it was difficult to
discern between her accompanying and the way that everyone knows the
real songs sounded. The dance numbers were also nicely arranged by
musical director Julie A. Florin, though I wished that Zum Brunnen
would have done more dancing with Ebhardt, instead of her hopping about
the stage on her own.
The costumes were fun, as well. Zum Brunnen stayed in traditional World
War II military uniform and Ebhardt transitioned from a period sequin
dress and hat to the sort of outfit that a riveter would wear while at
work.
Overall though, the show was an excellent depiction of the time period.
It showed everything from Franklin Delano Roosevelt??s immortal speeches
made during his term as President of the United States, to women??s
experiences joining the workforce, to the soldiers?? experiences in
battle across the globe.
While at times it was a bit hokey, I thoroughly enjoyed the show and
the rest of the audience seemed to think even more of it than I did. It
was a fabulous and fun way to wrap up the Stoneleaf Festival for me. I
can??t wait until next year! I give it four of my six planets.
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