Review: “Who Could Ask for Anything More?” At Barrington Stage
It was clear from the overture — "Rhapsody in Blue" — that the evening would soar.
Alan H. Green, Alysha Umphress, Jacob Tischler, Allison Blackwell and Britney Coleman. Photo by Daniel Rader
Although the socially-distanced audience was wearing masks in accordance with Actors’ Equity guidelines, it was nonetheless obvious that everyone was smiling from ear to ear at Barrington Stage Company’s season-opening revue, "Who Could Ask for Anything More? The Songs of George Gershwin" (through July 10). The effervescent production, held under a tent in an industrial section of Pittsfield, was nostalgic not only for the classics from The Great American Songbook but also for summoning up BSC’s scrappy history that led the company from its birth in a high school auditorium in 1995 to its move to Pittsfield in 2006, where it transformed a decrepit 1912 vaudeville house and a VFW hall into stages for world-class theater.
It was clear from the overture — "Rhapsody in Blue” lushly rendered by the onstage five-piece band — that the evening would soar. The opening number, “Love Is Sweeping The Country” (from "Of Thee I Sing"), was a testament to the ebuliient voices and razzle-dazzle of the actors on stage: Allison Blackwell, Britney Coleman, Alan H. Green, Jacob Tischler, and Alysha Umphress. Dressed in exuberant jewel tones on a stage that evoked an MGM musical, the ensemble personified summer cheer.
"Who Could Ask for Anything More?" is a theatrical amuse bouche, a delectable taste and prelude to all the live performances we can go to again now that most pandemic restrictions have been lifted. Umphress’s rendition of “Little Jazz Bird” (from "Lady Be Good") will have you thinking you'd like to go to Bemelmans Bar the next time you’re in Manhattan. Blackwell, who made her Broadway debut in "Porgy and Bess," performed its signature aria, “Summertime,” with a diva’s grace and gravitas. And Tischler and Umphress offered up “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” (from "Shall We Dance") with ditzy charm. It was a delightful surprise when bassist Mitch Zimmer came downstage for a sassy performance of “Slap That Bass” (from "Shall We Dance") with Blackwell, Coleman, and Umphress.
Directed by BSC artistic director Julianne Boyd, the well-paced evening had a few unavoidable hiccups — a freight train rumbling in the distance during one number and a chill that swept through the tent after sunset. Although Boyd’s loyal audience considers the Berkshires the world’s summer theater capital, she also knows that many theatergoers (and actors!) are looking forward to fall when Broadway and Off Broadway are back in business. Thus, she sagely chose a song from "Porgy and Bess" for the finale, so everyone headed home with these lyrics in their head. "There's a boat dat's leavin' soon for New York/Come wid me/Dat’s where we belong, sister . . ."
