Now, keep up to date with daily feeds of newly posted stories about America's Seniors...click on the box to the left

Stages St. Louis ‘State Fair’ a colorful and nostalgic journey

By Daniel Hines
Publisher, TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com

Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of who we were and where we came from.  That’s the gift of Stages St. Louis’ colorful production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘State Fair.’

The setting is 1946 in rural Iowa.  As one who grew up in a small central Illinois town and worked on farms, and actually attended dozens of local county fairs and even the big one in Springfield, IL a few times, the show is a great reminder of the qualities and values of rural America—values and qualities that actually contributed to the state of mind of the country, but are, unfortunately, suffering a rapid erosion.

The story line is simple.  The Frake family is getting ready for the Iowa State Fair which is a highlight of the family year, including the family’s champion hog (a message for all those who are too sophisticated to appreciate it, farmers do love their prize winning livestock, even though they eventually will sell the champion to a high bidder restaurant ). 

The sense of excitement is felt by the entire family (except for daughter Margy who dreams of love that will seemingly evade her surrounded by the Iowa cornfields).  But, of course, that’s before the magic of the State Fair works its magic.

Of course, the real magic is, as always at Stages, the chemistry of the performers among themselves that is picked up by the audience.

I believe that the quality of the singing and the voices in ‘State Fair’ is perhaps the best I have seen in a Stages’ production.  Christopher Vettel as Frake patriarch, Abel,  is outstanding. 

Significantly, he combines his rich vocal talents with a highly believable performance as Dad Frake, exhibiting a wry sense of humor, combined with a tenderness in his feelings for Mom Melissa Frake, played to equal perfection by Kari Ely. 

Miss Ely has a quiet, dignified type of beauty and warmth that is carried through by her beautiful voice.  With such qualities, it is no wonder that she is a Stages favorite.

The outstanding performances by Vettel and Ms. Ely are memorable and we can only hope Stages will use future opportunities to bring them together.

Julie Hanson is appropriately cute, homecoming or prom queen style, and surprises with her strong vocals coming from such a petite person.   The biggest surprise was Preston Ellis as brother Wayne Frake.  As the older brother, he also has romantic desires, which at the start of the show are dashed when his hoped-for finance announces that she is going off to nursing school for a year.  He plays the role in an understated fashion—except when he signs.  I was especially  impressed by the ease of his delivery and the superb quality of his voice. 

A suggestion for a future ‘revival ‘ production might be to consider ‘Little Abner’ with Ellis in the lead role.  He’s got the looks and the voice.

Jim Newman is Pat Gilbert,  a disgruntled newspaper reporter outcast to covering Fairs after being a World War II correspondent, is a combination of cockiness that actually covers a vulnerability that comes forth as he romances Margy. How does it turn out?  Come one, this is Iowa in 1946 and it’s Rodgers and Hammerstein.

There are three special mentions:

Hollie Howard is the worldly wise entertainer, Emily Arden, who, while she has her sights on New York’s lights, still enjoys flings in the Heartland.  She sweeps  small-town boy Wayne off his feet, and why not.  Put bluntly, she is hot…and she can belt out a song in the way it was done in the era of Big Band stage shows. 

But, we all need a laugh, and that is provided by John Flack, who filled in when Whit Reichert underwent an  emergency appendectomy.  Flack, who played four parts during the evening, was absolutely hilarious as a mincemeat judge who gets drunk while sampling Melissa’s entry, which has been spiked with Abel’s brandy first by Abel and later by Melissa, each without the knowledge of the other.  The whole bottle is poured in creating likely the most potent mincemeat in Iowa State Fair history.  By the time Flack is done, eating (drinking) the alcohol-soaked mincemeat (which wins a coveted seldom-awarded plaque for culinary excellence) the audience is laughing so much that they practically fall out of their seats.

Outstanding production number:  ‘It’s a Grand Night for Singing’ was a colorful wonderful production number, but was most outstanding for the quality of the singing—beautiful and of recording quality.

While some view the show as simplistic, that is its quality.  After suffering through squealing Tweens on ‘Idol’ and ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ it is reassuring to know that it is still possible to be entertained with colorful productions, great dancing and wonderful singing.  I guarantee you’ll feel better after seeing this show.