By Mario Echevarria

The Diablo Theatre Company[formerly DLOC/Diablo Light Opera Company], in collaboration with the Company C Contemporary Ballet, has produced a fascinating version of the renowned Leonard Bernstein musical ”On The Town”, which will be presented from September 11th – 27th at the Dean Lesher Theatre of Walnut Creek. Directed by Mindy Cooper, this version has relaxing scenes of rhythmical dances that with the presence of the ballet team of Company C, takes on an elegant and touching character. At the same time it has a number of songs with hints of Jazz, and ballads that evoke the nostalgic and harsh times of World War II. In the end, this is the story of three American sailors who are on a 24 hr leave to visit Manhattan in 1944, with all their fascinating differences, wealth and vivacity.

With great motivation, Gabey (Bryan Mc Elroy), Chip (Mark Farrell) and Ozzie (Ryan Drummond), have arrived at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in a warship to enjoy a short 24-hour rest before embarking again on their military duties. These brief hours become a giddy collection of funny and hilarious adventures that lead the trio from the Subway train, where Gabey sees for the first time and falls in love at first sight with the image of Miss Turnstiles, Ivy Smith (Courtney Yventosch), to the Museum of Natural History where Ozzie, planning to help Gabey find the woman of his dreams, gets to know the lonely and ardent anthropologist Claire de Loone (Emma Goldin), who is engaged to Judge Pitkin (Paul Plain), but whose pre-marital status doesn’t prevent her from finding love and passion with the young sailor.  At the same time, Chip, who has an obsession to visit all corners of the metropolis this his old tour guide of New York has pointed out to him, has paired up with a good-natured taxi driver, Hildy Esterhazy (Hope Mirlis), who helps him discover an endless amount of bars and places of entertainment while continuing to help Gabey search for his adored female. 

While hastening their search for Miss Turnstiles, the men run into fascinating and funny characters such as Judge Pitkin W Bridgework and Madame Maude P. Dilly (Laurie Strawn), Lucy Schmeeler (Barbara Pond) and the ladies of the Subway who endlessly gossip; Flossie (Rena Wilson) and Flossie’s friend (Julie Wall).  These hilarious characters are a window to the fascinating diversity of Manhattan that in the 1940’s had already become the “Big Apple” and the “city that never sleeps”. Where places like Carnegie Hall, The Museum of Natural History, Times Square and Coney Island, among others had already become iconic Gods of this great nation.

Songs like “New York, New York”, “Ya got me”, “I can Cook too”, evoke the enthusiasm and jocularity of years long ago while the dance numbers, especially those that involve those energetic swinging sailors are the signature of this musical comedy.  The beautiful Courtney Yventosch sings very well and moves with the fluidity and gracefulness that we saw in her performance in 42nd Street and also Beauty and the Beast.  Bryan Mc Elroy, Ryan Drummond and Mark Farrell make an excellent trio and also show off their great vocal range.  Although not part of the six principal players, Laurie Strawn as the drunken Madame Maude, Ivy’s ballet teacher, is excellent and her spoken lines reaped a number of outbursts of laughter. 

The stellar cast of the three sailors and their three companions sang and danced with such gusto and fire that they left the audience enchanted.  The addition of the ballet was a pleasant surprise and left many people talking about expectations of future collaborations between Ballet Company C and other theatrical endeavors. The music of Leonard Bernstein is unprecedented, while the screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, based on an idea of Jerome Robbins, has plenty of entertaining and giddy dialogue and sketches that keeps the audience in a permanent state of smiles and laughter. The artistic talents of Mindy Cooper as Director and Choreographer, Charles Anderson as Ballet Coordinator, Cheryl Yee Glass [Music Director] and Chad Runyon as Vocal Director, made for an excellent work."

For more information visit www.dloc.org, Call (925) 943-SHOW(7469) for tickets or buy online at www.lesherartscenter.org.