I like to think of the International City Theatre in Long Beach as the off-Ahmanson. That is, the ICT is to the Ahmanson what off-Broadway is to Broadway; it may not be the first theatre that comes to Angeleno minds when craving the stage, but it’s the source of many gems and well worth the drive. The reason isn’t all that difficult to articulate: excellent production values and bravura choices, including Mark Twain’s Is He Dead and Berthold Brecht’s Threepenny Opera from past seasons. Alas, as the ICT’s silver jubilee season gets underway, the inaugural production doesn’t quite meet the high standards set by previous productions. Backwards in High Heels: A Ginger Rogers Musical has all the temperament of a high school play.
A very, very good high school play, of course, but a high school play nevertheless; robust but not transcendent, enjoyable but lacking in that bigness of performance that even the smallest stages can achieve when all the right elements are in full sizzle. Glitches in the scene transitions put hiccups in the pacing, and the simple stage dressing reflects too much on the sad reality that the arts are not so well funded as they once were. Trifles, to some extent, in comparison to the burden the musical places on the actors. With too few performers taking on too many roles, it’s a burden that ultimately contributes to a feeling of post-Thanksgiving dinner bloating in the second act.
One can understand the need to rein in the number of singing dancers. Yet all too often the most notable difference between characters is a costume change— and the period nature of the musical does limit the sartorial differences, especially for men. Some of the actors have the chops to go beyond their costumes, in part thanks to the call for caricaturing famous personalities like Marlene Dietrich or Bette Davis. Jeff Payton stands out for trotting out Jimmy Stewart, choreographer Hermes Pan and Ginger’s first husband Jack while making each of them distinct. As Fred Astaire and others, however, Matt Bauer sings and dances his way across the stage with good rhythm and grace, but can’t form a fully persuasive distinction between his various roles.
Naturally, the spotlight is on Anna Aimee White in the single role of Ginger Rogers. We often hear of Fred and Ginger, but Backwards in High Heels is all about Ginger, both before and after Astaire, from her roots in Texas and success on the Orpheum Theatre circuit to her Oscar win for best actress in Kitty Foyle. Although White’s voice betrays her in the upper registers, she is splendid in the mid to lower ranges. Most of all, she has an effervescent star quality entirely suited to portraying Ginger Rogers; dazzling smile, expressive acting, a lovely presence. Ginger Rogers is Ginger Rogers, of course, but White proves an absolutely charming embodiment that brings together innocence and an iron determination to succeed on her own terms. Though not the only reason to offer this portrait of one of Hollywood’s golden ladies as a qualified toe-tapping success — original songs by Christopher McGovern and classics by Gershwin and others certainly help — White does a lot of heavy lifting to keep the production moving and does so gracefully. So congratulations to the ICT for 25 years, and bring it home with the next production.
Backwards in High Heels. Conceived & Developed By Lynnette Barkley & Christopher McGovern
Book/Original Songs/Arrangements by Christopher McGovern. Starring: Matt Bauer, Christopher Carothers, Robin De Lano, Heather Lee, Jeff Payton, Anna Aimee White. On stage at the International City Theatre in Long Beach until Sunday, March 21. Visit http://www.ictlongbeach.org/ for more information.