BWW Reviews: Pasadena Playhouse Goes SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE

Sleepless in Seattle - the musical/book by Jeff Arch/music by Ben Toth and lyrics by Sam Forman/directed by Sheldon Epps/Pasadena Playhouse/through June 23

Sleepless in Seattle is one of the most popular films of the 90s which gave Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan two of their best roles ever as destined.to.meet lovers Sam and Annie. In a brave move Jeff Arch, Ben Toth and Sam Forman have composed a musical based on the movie which is making its world premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse through June 23. Under Sheldon Epps superior guidance, the well-cast show is a very bright, upbeat, contemporary look at relationships that does its ultimate best to remain faithful to the tone and texture of the film.

Despite the positive buzz on opening night there were several comments relaying confusion about basic relationships, place, and about the vastness of the big opening number "Out There". With a digital map projected on several rear screens, a chorus of romantic hopefuls show their earnest hope to meet that special someone. Introducing a very global mix of candidates, the creators want the audience to relate universally to the need for love regardless of place, race, or age. In Seattle 10-year old Jonah (Joe West) needs a mother as much as his father Sam (Tim Martin Gleason) needs a new wife, his first having died much too young the year previous from an incurable disease. Sam' sister (Lowe Taylor) and best friend Rob (Todd Buonopane) want him to move on, so encourage him to date, with Jonah going a giant step further and calling into a radio therapy hour to talk about his dad's - and his own - extreme loneliness, without his dad's prior knowledge, on Christmas eve no less, causing an incredibly sympathetic response from listeners everywhere. Annie (Chandra Lee Schwartz) in Baltimore is, as fate would have it, one of these listeners and becomes immediately pulled into Jonah's and Sam's description of the ideal mate - yes, Sam gets on the line when Jonah puts him on the spot. So pulled in, in fact, is Annie that her quest for magic and romance, recently quelled through a new relationship with a rather stable, but dull young businessman Walter (Robert Mammana), surfaces once more, creating a total conflict within her. There's unhappiness on both sides and a vast geographical separation but alas a Hollywood ending will bring Sam and Annie together as it almost did with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr at the top of the Empire State Building in New York City on Valentine's Day.

Sleepless remains a fast paced mix of reality/fantasy all the way, and Toth and Forman's score, if not supplying tearjerking memories, at least exudes a reflection of the frenetic pace of this frantic lifestyle. It should be noted that the aforementioned chorus show up throughout the entire show, whether mailing letters, checking in at the airport, rushing about the streets of the big city, or just trying to keep up with the crazed dating scene. Sleepless is a show whose heart pulsates, vibrates with a real yet fantastical rhythm most will like, but to some... well you can't please everyone.

Under Epps even hand, the cast is just super with Gleason and West stealing their scenes together "Rock Stars". There's nothing like a good father/son relationship, which is forever a rarity in itself, West is especially precious, endearingly intense with a terrific set of pipes for a young boy. Schwartz makes a pretty and lovable Annie; even if Annie can't make up her mind and leaves poor Walter, we are rooting for her to meet destiny's call. Supporting players Buonopane and Katharine Leonard as the kooky Victoria are very funny, yet, for some reason or other Becky, the friend, co-worker who forces Annie into action - no fault of fine actress Sabrina Sloan - is not written here as it was in the movie for funny lady Rosie O'Donnell. Maybe the creators should rethink this. Returning comedic touches to the role will make it stronger. Mammana, in what could be a thankless part, makes drippy yet sincere Walter a likable nice guy, and Lowe Taylor/Adam Silver as Sam's sister and brother-in-law add grounded familial support. Spencer Liff provides some fine fast-paced choreographed moves for the chorus and John Iacovelli's excellent set, Brian L. Gale's bright lighting and projection design and Kate Bergh's costumes all work appropriately.

Summing up, Sleepless in Seattle the musical will survive for a variety of reasons, particularly its eternal sense of hope and high heart. It's not perfect fare, but possesses great potential for a continued run.

http://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/