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May 29, 2004 (excerpt) by Lawrence B. Johnson |
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“As a theatrical form, the musicals are very classical,” [Richard] Monette says. “You could even say they’re Shakespearean in the sense that the characters are vividly drawn and the songs function very much like soliloquies. And they are by no means our easiest productions. Musicals have a long tradition at this festival. People like them. I like them.”
If “Guys and Dolls” is a play with music, “Anything Goes” is musical madness. This merry romp about love, hope and a gangster on the lam also happens to embrace some of Cole Porter’s most enduring songs, like “You’re the Top” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.” “It’s such a great show, with a script that’s tight and dead-on,” says Michael Gruber, who portrays playboy Billy Crocker, a role he has cultivated through many productions over the last 20 years. “The jokes are fool-proof. Once you get into the rhythm, you really can’t screw it up. Getting to do some really good jokes is a gift.” Gruber, a Cincinnati native and former all-American diver at the University of Michigan, also speaks of another Stratford “gift” — his word for the festival’s support system. “It’s just extraordinary what’s routinely offered to an actor here. There are great teachers and coaches who will come and watch what you’re doing in rehearsal, then offer advice. And it’s all free. It has been transforming. There’s nothing like it in the States. “Working here is not just about delivering a performance. It’s a different kind of theater culture. It’s about the craft.”
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