(Posted
November 14, 2004)
CROSSVILLE, Tenn. – The vibrant rebirth
of Two By Two is a rainbow of hope following
a stormy past.
Composer Richard Rodgers, book author
Peter Stone and lyricist Martin Charnin wanted their musical
look at Noah and the Ark to reflect that hope when
it opened on Broadway in 1970. The hurricane that was
Danny Kaye swamped the show, but Charnin's remounting at Cumberland
County Playhouse has entertainingly restored it to the
creators' original vision.
The genesis of Two By Two lies
in Clifford Odets' 1954 play The Flowering Peach. Charnin,
best known as the lyricist/director of Annie, brought the
play to Rodgers (Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The
Sound of Music) and Stone (1776, The Will Rogers
Follies, Titanic), and suggested the three of
them write a musical version, according to production notes in CCP's
play program.
That version was helped and hindered by
Kaye. His star power sold tickets, but his creative control
essentially turned the ensemble show into a personal showcase of the
shtick he'd made famous in such films as The Secret Life of
Walter Mitty and The Court Jester. Kaye even
performed the show in a wheelchair after breaking his leg – and
continued to do so after his leg had healed, according to the
production notes.
Obscured by the egocentricity of
Kaye's approach was a beautiful score by Rodgers, a witty and
intelligent book by Stone, and lively lyrics by Charnin that fit the
score and book perfectly. The authors' work shines clearly
now, aided by script revisions Stone and Charnin made
before Stone's death in 2003 (Rodgers died in
1979).
Yes, this story of Noah, his family, and
the ark full of animals will be recognizable to anyone familiar with
the Old Testament tale. But the musical's characters are very human,
and God is presented not as a distant deity, but as an entity whose
existence is both a direct comfort and a question mark to those He
created. That complexity makes the show dramatically
compelling.
The questioning nature of Two By
Two is clearly established in the opening number, Why
Me?, where Noah tries to figure out why God would have chosen
him to restart civilization after the flood. The ensemble flavor of
the piece is also on display early, as sons Ham and Shem and
daughter-in-law Leah think it might be a good idea to Put Him
Away after Noah tells them he's talked to the
Almighty.
The score mixes humor in the title song,
You Have Got to Have a Rudder on the Ark!, Forty
Nights, The Golden Ram and When It Dries
with thoughtful tunes like Something, Somewhere,
An Old Man, Something Doesn't Happen and Hey,
Girlie that further explore the story's relationships. And
it contains one of the most touching love songs ever written for a
musical, I Do Not Know A Day I Did Not Love
You.
The acting ensemble all have fine
singing voices, but it's their fully-drawn characterizations that
matter most. Allan Baker's funny, energetic and touching take on
Noah helms the troupe wonderfully (and his rendition of Ninety
Again is a comic gem); Angela Angel's Esther is the perfect
companion, in dramatic joy and sorrow, to Baker's
patriarch, as evidenced by her lovely duet with Baker
in the number Who?.
Andrew Ross' Japheth and Ellen Domingos'
Rachel are engaging as two conflicted young lovers, while Frank
Calamaro's Shem and Ruthie Ann Miles' Leah are the comically
endearing study of a couple that can't live with or without each
other. Teren Carter's interpretation of Ham allows us to discover
that his character has more to him than we first imagine, and Holly
O'Brien's Goldie believably turns out to be more than just a pretty
face.
Charnin has paced the show
well. The running time is more than two-and-a-half hours, but
we don't note the length while watching the performance because
Two By Two flows smoothly.
Michele Colvin's choreography is clean
and fits strongly but seamlessly into the action. Ron Murphy's
musical direction, including his additional orchestrations for the
Forty Nights number that's been added back to the show,
shows a flair for musical finesse. The musicians who play under his
direction deserve praise for their work too.
Technical Director John Partyka and his
collaborators at CCP have done their part to make Two By
Two vibrant and new. Tom Tutino's set design employs abstract
shapes and simple features to convey a pre-flood world that is
recognizable but distinct from the world to follow, and Sandra "Sam"
Hahn's props fit the set and the situation.
E. Tonry Lathroum's lighting design,
including a lovely rainbow at story's end, boldly bathes the piece
in warm illumination, while Nicholas Tranby's sound design serves as
a clear conduit for the music, voices and God's thunderous
appearances.
Renee Luttrell's colorful costumes also
serve the work appropriately. Each shows an attention to detail that
aids our understanding of the characters wearing those
costumes.
CCP Producing Director Jim Crabtree has
said he thinks this revamped Two By Two will start in
Crossville but end up on Broadway. As someone who's seen several
shows on the Great White Way over the years, I think it can too, and
I hope it plays there and elsewhere. Two By Two is
funny, intelligent, sweet-natured, entertaining and
edifying. It's a touching tale for these troubled
times.
To See The
Show…
Two By
Two ended its run Dec. 18 in the O'Brien Adventure
Theater at the Cumberland County
Playhouse. | 
