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Stage Review: Pohl salutes Hollywood with 'Movie Madness'
Friday, March 09, 2001 By A.J. Caliendo
Much of the music that accompanies the action on the silver screen is considered background noise that is not even consciously absorbed by most moviegoers. But some movie melodies make their mark on the public at large and go on to live separate lives in our CD players. The best, or luckiest, continue to be performed -- some long after the movies in which they debuted have faded from memory.
Some of the best-known numbers in the latter category make up the song list of "Movie Madness," Pittsburgh producer Jude Pohl's latest offering at the Holiday Inn South Hills. The musical revue with skits continues through March 25.
Pohl and his co-author wife, Shirley Haviland Pohl, tap both Hollywood's music and cliche pools for a night of song, dance and comedy performed by Megan May, Bill Slivka and Rebecca L. Wade. Carol Karl and her keyboard provide the sole instrumental accompaniment.
The format is familiar -- musical numbers interspersed with related comedy bits. The cast employs minimalist costumes and props to reenact scenes from popular movies, always with comic alterations. A new wrinkle is a segment in Act 2 where the audience has a chance to join in by guessing which movies launched various cliches used throughout the show.
The evening begins with Slivka sitting on a bench. He tells us that he's Forrest, Forrest Gump, and he's waiting for a bus to take him to the movies. After a few more parodies the music begins.
The opening set recalls the Wild West with a trio of songs introduced in the shoot-em-ups of the '30s and '40s. It ends with Slivka struggling with an Italian accent in "Spaghetti Western," a funny parody with clever lyrics that lampoons Sergio Leone's European cult classics. Next comes some of the most famous movie music of all time as the cast alternates solo and group performances on six familiar songs from MGM's long string of movie musicals. After a couple of ballads by Wade and Slivka, the first act comes to a close with a seven-song set of Disney favorites, from "Zip-Ah-Dee-Doo-Dah" ("The Song of the South") to the recent "Colors of the Wind" ("Pocahontas").
After intermission the cast returns with a rapid-fire series of spoofs called "I Love a Movie Cliche," which starts out as a clever idea, but runs on longer than the joke holds up. After that, a string of Oscar-winning songs are performed. Then comes the audience-participation segment and a couple of ballads by the female cast members. A James Bond medley leads into a grand finale in which all three singers hold up Elvis masks and sing "Viva Las Vegas." The show's high points are in the music, particularly the ballads.
Wade, in fine voice throughout, scores big with a moving rendition of the "The Rose" and a beautifully done "Colors of the Wind." May, who also proved to be the comic crowd pleaser, comes through quite nicely on "Can You Read My Mind?" from "Superman." Small problems with cast cohesion and forgotten lyrics should improve as the run progresses.
If you can't get enough movie music, "Movie Madness" is for you.
A.J. Caliendo is a free-lance writer.
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WHERE: Holiday Inn, South Hills.