{"id":24047,"date":"2021-08-10T16:47:16","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T23:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=24047"},"modified":"2021-10-05T10:16:13","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T17:16:13","slug":"i-do-i-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/i-do-i-do\/","title":{"rendered":"I Do! I Do!: a review by Victor Cordell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Many entertainments succeed by drawing on the audience\u2019s inside knowledge of the subject matter.\u00a0 The musical \u201cI Do!\u00a0 I Do!\u201d covers familiar ground that is nearly universal in most places and times.\u00a0 The vignettes from 60 years of marriage include that unforgettable first night; gender roles; pregnancy and the challenges in rearing children; how people change over time, and often in opposite directions; the special highs of being a couple; infidelity, disinterest, and reconciliation; and ultimately, shared dotage.\u00a0 Whew!\u00a0 Woodminster Summer Musicals has mounted a pleasing production of this bittersweet confection.<\/p>\n

These days of Covid have prompted special cautions for the return of theater.\u00a0 In this case, the company\u2019s venue offers special comfort for the audience.\u00a0 The spacious Woodminster Amphitheater in the Oakland Hills\u2019 Joachin Miller Park provides more than ample room for social distancing in an outdoor setting.\u00a0 Plus, attendees can picnic in the park or have food and drink al fresco<\/em> from the limited concessions stand or brought from home.<\/p>\n

The musical itself also fits the safety needs of the company almost as well as possible.\u00a0 Played on a single set, it is a two-hander, thus limiting the number of performer contacts on stage.\u00a0 Musical accompaniment is two pianos at opposite ends of the huge stage, with a conductor in the pit.\u00a0 But amongst these minimalistic elements, Kevin Stanford\u2019s numerous and oft changing props and Lisa Danz\u2019s costume coordination give visual variety and relevance to scenes representing various time periods.<\/p>\n

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Leslie Ivy as Agnes, Gary Stanford, Jr. as Michael.<\/p><\/div>\n

The backstory of the musical starts in World War II Netherlands.\u00a0 Author of the source material, Jan de Hartog, wrote the play \u201cThe Fourposter\u201d while hiding in his homeland from the Nazis.\u00a0 The detailed mileposts of a marriage\u2019s long journey are clearly not based on personal experience, because he was still a bachelor at the time of its writing.\u00a0 But the story was picked up by composer Harvey Schmidt and lyricist Tom Jones, the team who in 1960 had written what would become the longest running stage musical ever, \u201cThe Fantasticks.\u201d\u00a0 In 1966, their \u201cI Do! I Do!\u201d would commence an award-winning, 18-month run on Broadway.<\/p>\n

Veterans of Bay Area stages Gary Stanford, Jr. as Michael and Leslie Ivy as Agnes make up the cast for this production.\u00a0 They are well matched as a pair and manage the dramatic and comedic aspects with skill.<\/p>\n

The songs are largely upbeat and support the plotline.\u00a0 Although the show isn\u2019t studded with memorable tunes, the jaunty opening title song lilts and sets up the narrative.\u00a0 Perhaps the actors weren\u2019t warmed up or had first night jitters, but that number and those immediately following are not as strong as they should be.\u00a0 Later, in pieces that call for powerful vocals, Ms. Ivy settles in and shows her stuff.\u00a0 Mr. Stanford reveals a mid-range sweet spot, but his solos never quite hit the mark.\u00a0 However, in harmonies, his voice mixes extremely well with Ivy\u2019s, and they excel when singing together.\u00a0 In addition, his dancing is definitely an asset.\u00a0 Like a power forward with the moves of point guard, he is remarkably light on his feet \u2013 nimble, quick, and graceful.<\/p>\n

The show stopper is the beautiful, yet schmaltzy, \u201cMy Cup Runneth Over,\u201d which became a Top 10 pop record single in 1967.\u00a0 Sung as a duet in the show, the pair capture the essence of the song nicely.\u00a0 But the most fun number is another duet, \u201cNobody\u2019s Perfect.\u201d\u00a0 A lengthy piece that centers on each spouse enumerating the faults of the other, it is largely delivered in patter-talk.\u00a0 It is hilarious and the couple ace this one.<\/p>\n

Following on is another fractious, and this time, gasp-inducing song. \u00a0Michael has become a successful writer, whose novels are uninspiring to Agnes, a stay-at-home wife.\u00a0 With an inflated sense of ego, he fancies himself a chick magnet, while not appreciating that his admirers at literary talks don\u2019t see the side of him that only a wife suffers.\u00a0 His self-indulgent anthem \u201cA Well Known Fact\u201d argues that a man only gets better with age, while a woman goes to pot, not winning him the gold medal in the diplomatic race.<\/p>\n

Although the conflict songs are played for laughs, the clashes around them are serious.\u00a0 The actors perform their best in these animated, hostile moments.\u00a0 In all, the musical and the actors find a good balance between lightheartedness and dysfunction.\u00a0 The years pass by quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI Do! I Do!,\u201d\u00a0 composed by Harvey Schmidt with lyrics by Tom Jones, is produced by Woodminster Summer Musicals and plays on its stage at 3540 Sanborn Drive, Oakland, CA through August 22, 2021.<\/p>\n

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Many entertainments succeed by drawing on the audience\u2019s inside knowledge of the subject matter.\u00a0 The musical \u201cI Do!\u00a0 I Do!\u201d covers familiar ground that is nearly universal in most places…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[664],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-24047","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-victor-cordell"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"