THEATER REVIEW

Tom Titus

Don’t look now, but the 1940s are back -- at least here in Costa Mesa

where “The 1940s Radio Hour” is pushing nostalgia buttons at the Civic

Playhouse and the touring production of “Swing!” is kicking up its heels

with a vengeance at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Both shows are inspired by music from the World War II era (in fact,

“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” is featured in each), but “Swing!” puts its

emphasis more on the dances of the period. And its youthful, high-voltage

performers do things with their bodies that would leave most of us aching

and limping for weeks.

It’s a kick to watch, especially when the company breaks into creative

mode and offers a specialty number such as “Harlem Nocturne” (with

Michelle Marmolejo seducing a bass violin played by Greg Fiellin) in the

first act or -- in particular -- when the sultry Erin Davie undulates to

the sensuous trombone of Marshall Gilkes in the second, making audiences

forget Julie London as she belts out “Cry Me a River” like you’ve never

heard it before.

Jazz classics such as “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “Blues in the Night”

and “Stompin’ at the Savoy” set the stage for some inventive movement

under the direction of Lori Steinberg and choreographer Kim Craven,

recreating the original Broadway dances of Lynne Taylor-Corbett. But the

best musical number -- “Sing, Sing, Sing” -- is justly saved for the

finale and features the entire company generating its special brand of

electricity.

Premier vocalist Clarolyn Maier showcases her talent on such numbers

as “I Won’t Dance,” “Blues in the Night” and the haunting “I’ll Be Seeing

You,” which highlights the first act. In the most original sequence, she

teams with industrious comic Charles Statham on Duke Ellington’s

“Blip-Blip,” in which the singers communicate entirely with sound

effects.

Rick Cornette serves as a sort of emcee, opening the show by strumming

a solo mandolin before the superlative band lead by Doug Oberhamer kicks

into high gear. This energetic combo spotlights a number of soloists and

combines for a particularly enjoyable rendition of Ellington’s “Caravan”

early in the second act.

The Glenn Miller sound enriches the first act when the show turns into

a USO spectacle and rocks out to “String of Pearls,” “Kalamazoo” and “In

the Mood.” The elegantly impressive Davie solos wonderfully on “Skylark.”

Director Steinberg keeps the surprises coming -- there’s even a

country-western segment and a pair of ladies on flying trapezes, which

more resemble dual bungee cords -- so there’s no danger of nodding off to

the “old” tunes of the 40s. As its title suggests, the main element this

show possesses is energy.

“Swing!” is the sort of show that makes you yearn for the youth and

vitality these splendid dancers exhibit, not to mention (if you’re old

enough) to recall a more tuneful, less complicated time in America’s

past. It’s nostalgia at its best and brightest.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Thursdays and Saturdays.

FYI

What: “Swing!”

Where: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa

When: Closing performances at 2 and 8 p.m. today and 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Sunday

Cost: $20-$55

Call: (714) 556-2746