Talk about variety. Comedy, drama, singing, dancing and plenty
of storylines abound in South Valley Civic Theater
’s holiday production, “1940’s Radio Hour,” which opens tonight
at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse.
Talk about variety.
Comedy, drama, singing, dancing and plenty of storylines abound in South Valley Civic Theater’s holiday production, “1940’s Radio Hour,” which opens tonight at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse.
The show, written by Walton Jones and directed by Carol Harris, takes a look at the inner workings of broadcast of a radio variety show during the World War II era.
Along with some matching harmonies singing 1940s songs and a few Christmas tunes, the show includes more than 10 character on stage at a time, each with their own storylines woven into the WOV Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade radio show. Those stories include Johnny Cantone, the featured singer, stopping the show to announce he is leaving for Hollywood, professional singer Geneva Lee Browne refusing to do a song live without a rehearsal, an oldtimer named Pops acting as a bookie on company time using the station’s phone lines, and singer Neal Tilden showing he’ll do almost anything to get a bigger part in the show.
So, with all that going on, what are audiences supposed to take away from the show? Well, that’s up to them.
“That will depend on most people’s interests,” said Eric Hilding, who plays the part of station General Manager and Announcer Clifton Feddington. “Some people like the music, some like the comedy. It’s got so many elements, I think there’s something in it for everyone.”
South Valley Civic Theater has put the show on twice before, 12 years ago and 16 years ago. Actors Rod Pintello and Tom Hepner have been in all three performances while Peter Mandel and Hilding have been in the last two.
Hilding, who also is making a return to his former role back when SVCT was producing shows at Tennant Station, hasn’t been in a community theater show since his last performance as the station general manager. Since then, he has been involved with movies and television shows, including 40 episodes of “Nash Bridges.”
But for Hilding, who was a radio announcer for eight different radio stations before going into real estate, the show is special.
“The last time, I was mildly depressed after the show ended,” he said. “If I lived in the 1940s, this is exactly what I’d like to do every day.”
While Hilding was excited about the prospects of doing the show in the new Morgan Hill theater, he said his favorite part of the show is listening to the harmony of the singers.
“B.J. (Lane Grover) and Connie (Katherine Paolini) sing a duet ‘How About You,’ and every time I hear it I get chills,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s worth the price of admission alone.”
According to Hepner, who plays ladies’ man crooner Johnny Cantone for the third time, this might be SVCT’s best production of the show yet.
“This is, by far, the strongest cast,” he said. “Musically, the voices are the strongest, and with the addition of Carol (Harris) with musical direction, this will be great.”
One of those female voices that actually takes brings a few male characters out of their chairs during the show is that of Sandi Lewandowski, who plays Ginger, a bubbleheaded waitress. Lewandowski, a first-grade teacher at Nordstrom Elementary school, said she hopes audiences take away the magic of time period.
“The ’40s era really brings that magic,” she said. “I really think that’s what makes it a neat show.”
Harris, who has 20 years of experience with SVCT, said she hoped a little of all the variety of the show will go home with the audience, including the story of Biff, who leaves the next day to join in World War II and promises to return. But, mainly, she hopes they’ll leave with the sound of the music running through their head.
“I hope they leave tapping their toes and singing those good ol’ songs,” she said.
