There’s a new show in town, and it’s all kinds of wonderful. If you’re looking for something that’s lighthearted, appeals to all ages, and is sure to get your toes tapping to good tunes, look no further this summer.
American Rhythm celebrates the rich legacy of America’s music with a journey through 100 years of hits. Five actors and five actresses make the decades come alive with quick dance steps, golden voices, and fabulous costumes. Kiana Bell and Benjamin Roy’s full voices are a special pleasure to hear, and Mike Buckley’s set design — as always — combines multimedia, a live band, and a beautiful space for the story to play out on the stage.
Above and behind the set, a seven-piece band brings the music to life with at least 10 different instruments, and occasionally they step into the action of the play with surprising solos. Meanwhile, over the stage hangs a large screen, where newsreels and TV clips from the past century play. Sometimes they are accompanied by sound, but often American history plays out silently on the screen while the actors reenact the decades on the stage.
The play begins in the early 1900s with ragtime and sweet old tunes my grandmother taught me, like “Silver Harvest Moon” and “Daisy.” Sadness then arrives with WWI, the Great Depression, and Prohibition, but the music that grows out of this time is strong: “Sunny Side of the Street” and “Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue.” As times improve, two actors dazzle with a rendition of “The Best Things Happen When You’re Dancing” from White Christmas, complete with immaculate dance steps and a twirling white dress. When WWII arrives, though, on the heels of such happiness, the actors drew tears from the audience with “I’ll Be Seeing You” and the heartbreak of love and loss during wartime.
Times change and the musical hits come faster with radio mania, blues, and finally swing. The audience whooped and clapped along as the 10 actors took the stage in an impeccably choreographed swing dance number, with skirts whirling and heels flying. Siri Hafso, one of the actresses, deserves special recognition for her dance skills in this number as well as the White Christmas rendition. She is an incredible dancer, moving seamlessly throughout a century of vastly diverse dance styles to portray all of them with quick steps and enthusiastic skill.
With the advent of the 1950s, the audience is even more familiar with every song, and it is hard not to sing along! During the 1960s, Elvis, the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, and Simon & Garfunkel all made their appearances in costume and song, and then Neil Diamond and James Taylor walk the stage, among others. Billy Joel sings at the piano. Michael Jackson appears first as a child and then leads all the actors in a dance rendition of “Thriller.”
The music continues up to modern day with hits from the 1990s and early 2000s, and finishes with the songs we’ve loved on the radio today, like the ubiquitous “Uptown Funk.” Everyone in the audience heard some of their favorites, songs that took us back to childhood and high school and old movies we’d watched over the years.
As the play finished, the narrator said, “No matter how loud or soft the music plays in your life, this is one thing we call all agree on — you can’t live without it!” And we did agree after watching over a century unfold of laughter, war, depression, love, and life, all expressed through diverse and incredible styles of music, song, and dance. Here is a universally appealing show, perfect for Coronado’s summertime visitors as well as locals. Bring your grandmother, bring your teenager, and they’ll all find songs they love, history they remember, and memories they can’t live without. Don’t miss it!
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Lamb’s Players Theatre’s website or call the box office at (619) 437-6000.
