By Eric George Tauber
CORONADO –Since 1922, the BBC has been broadcasting news and entertainment, informing and connecting the English-speaking world. Never was their mandate more crucial than during World War II. Their broadcasts brought hope to beleaguered troops under fire and folks at home cowering in bomb shelters during German air raids. This is the setting of Chaps! now playing at the Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado.
Archie is playing guitar and singing a cowboy song on a BBC soundstage in London.
“You sound just like one of those cowboy chaps. How do you do it?”
“Nothing to it, really. You just shove your voice up into your nose.”
The funny thing is, Archie can sing like a cowboy but not talk like one. Steve Gouveia code switches back and forth between English and American voices with comic alacrity.
Country music is surprisingly popular in the UK. When I went to school there, all of the coach drivers were Kenny Rogers fans. I always chuckled at hearing “Ruby” sung with an English midlands dialect. But sentimental story ballads about working men eking out a living resonated with these fellows more strongly than the Beatles or the Stones.
So the folks at BBC are waiting for Tex Riley’s Radio Round-Up. They’ve been publicizing the live broadcast event for weeks and the queue is around the block. Tour manager Mabel Halliday arrives with the costumes and sheet music, but not the performers. And it’s five minutes to showtime!
Determined to do it themselves, it’s a classic case of frantically scrambling against all odds and obstacles because “the show must go on.” The foibles are many, but they can’t forget that this is for the boys fighting on the front lines. And it’s those tender moments of angst and admiration that really bring it home.
“You can slap a ten gallon hat on anybody and make them look like a cowboy.”
Costume Designer Jeanne Reith certainly has them looking the part in a colorful array of western hats, rose-embroidered shirts, frilly skirts and chaps of white fur and rawhide. While she can make a stuffed shirt like Leslie (Ross Hellwig) look the part, it’s his understated delivery of “wahoo” that’s so wrong it’s funny.
Caitie Gray has a wonderfully expressive face as the tour manager, Mabel. Born for musical theatre, she has great comic timing and a voice as sweet as morning birdsong.
Charles Evans Jr and Manny Fernandes make a fun comic duo as they work a cooperative puppet for a ventriloquist act. But my personal favorite was Arusi Santi as the nebbishy sound effects man, Stan. A man of few words, he’s Johnny-on-the-spot with coconut shells for hoof beats, sleigh bells, a slide-whistle and whoopee cushions.
Lamb’s delivers an old-fashioned musical comedy filled with fun, foibles, and great heart. They have you laughing, toe-tapping and leaving with a smile. Chaps! has just opened, but tickets are already going so fast that they’ve extended through April 20th. And who really need a second night’s seder anyway?
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Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com