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STAGE

'Carnival': The Magic Just Isn't There

By Paul Chaplin
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Back in my high school days, I
recall an instructor explaining that
necessary essence of theatre called
"Magic." The term seems trite, but
it's one I can use to explain why I
was disappointed in the Albemarle
Playhouse's production of
"Carnival." The musical simply
lacks this unexplainable essence,
which would pull the whole show
together.

Let me attempt to explain
"magic" with an example. In "Man
of LaMancha," Cervantes
transforms the prisoners into
characters in the Don Quixote
story. Two men are changes into
horses. The men, in the audience's
mind, do become horses. To me,
musical theatre seems to demand
this transformation - that one
second when realism is obliterated
from the mind and the fantasy and
theatricality of the play is totally
accepted.

"Carnival" does not have an
adequate script to exploit and
develop this magic essence. The
story should have a greater focus on
Lili and Paul. The sub-plot romance
of Rosalie and Marco is ironic, and
often parallels that of the
protagonists, yet it is
overdeveloped, and sacrifices
attention that should be focused on
Lili.

The Acting

From this, let me comment on
the acting. Since there is more
substance to Rosalie and Marco's
story, they do stand out. This is
also due to the excellent talents of
Ann Ault and David Harper. Lili
and Paul seem to be on stage for a
shorter period and, since they are
outcasts in the carnival, do not have
the rousing production songs given
to the minor characters. Instead,
they have either touch songs, or
little ditties that re a bit too sweet.
Joyce Stoner is quite lovely as the
orphan who joins the carnival and
Pat Stoner gives an excellent
performance as the bitter Paul.
They are both excellent singers
with good delivery. The script does
not grant them enough material to
really work with however.

I would have preferred author
Michael Stewart and
composer-lyricist Bob Merrill to
have elaborated on Lili's character.
Unfortunately when adapting the
musical from the 1953 film "Lili,"
the authors seem to have forgotten
one key scene in the film which
would help the show a great deal. I
am referring to the dream sequence
where Lili dances with the puppets
who have now become life-size and
replace humans. This would have
helped the audience to realize that
Lili is a complex character, and it
would have eased us to accept her
change in character by the play's
conclusion. If nothing else, it would
have been a nice production
number, and another opportunity
to use some Magic.

Puppets

The puppets are crucial to the
production. Not only are they the
alter-egos of Paul, but Marguerite
and Renardo may be viewed as
caricatures of the weaknesses in
Rosalie and Marco. In the
production, one moment of magic
is the conclusion of the first act,
when the puppets and Lili sing
"Love Makes the World Go
Round." The familiarity of the
song and universal appeal of
puppets considerably help the
show, but more sparkle is needed.

Production Lacking

Aside from my dislikes with the
script, the production does not
seem to make full use of what is
available. The opening number,
"Direct From Vienna," doesn't
come across at all. I fear that this is
due to the rather tired expressions
the chorus projected throughout
the show. Chorus numbers are
usually a good place to develop
atmosphere and magic, but here
these qualities are absent. The only
number that really pulls itself
together and shows some life is
"Grand Imperial Cirque de Paris."
The number starts off rather
slowly, but builds to a rousing
crescendo, thanks to Russell
Bustoafson's exuberant singing.

The technical aspects of the
production matched those of "I
Do, I Do," namely they were
handled with care and skill. Ed
Godshall plays the score with gusto
and is adequately accompanied by
drums and bass. Patt Hart's
costumes are used effectively for
atmosphere, through bright yellows
and blues, with accents of red and
green. I would have enjoyed a little
more exploitation of colors, mainly
through avoiding pastel shades. The
colors do help, for example, we can
see that Lili and Paul don't really
fit into the carnival when we see
them in dark colors juxtaposed
against the bright gaudy colors of
the carnival.

Promise

I think there is material in
"Carnival" that can be developed,
despite the weaknesses of the plot
and songs. The Albele
Playhouse production is adequate,
yet the show does not seem able to
get together. I feel that more
attention to the production and less
on the acting would have helped.
The show needs more color in the
costumes, more dazzle in the
chorus-a little magic to unify the
parts into a whole.