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This 'Carnival' needs an energy infusion
By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN, Times Staff Writer The musical Carnival, playing through March 24 at Stage West Community Playhouse, is a poignant and simple story set in 1930s France. In it, the young and innocent orphan Lili tries to join a seedy traveling French carnival. Instead of the welcome she wants, she is molested by Grobert, an insensitive roustabout and trinket seller. Lili is rescued by Marco, a lecherous magician who immediately puts the make on her. Lili falls for him, raising the ire of Marco's mistress and partner, the aging and angry "Incomparable Rosalie." Lili's genuine rescuer turns out to be the bitter and solitary puppeteer Paul, a dancer whose leg was mangled in World War I, ruining his hopes of a career on stage. Paul can't speak for himself, so he lets his puppets speak for him. What keeps this show from being a complete downer is Lili, whose angelic virtue brings rays of light to this shabby world, and the comical antics of the villains, Marco and Rosalie. The success the production of Carnival at Stage West enjoys is, in great part, because of Audrey Holeman's portrayal of Lili. Ms. Holeman has the fresh innocence of the 15-year-old she is, but her trained soprano and Paul Scholobohm's radiant lighting bring lovely new dimensions and fragility to her character. Her portrayal is matched by that of R. J. Rivera as Paul, the hostile, resentful puppeteer. Rivera's impassioned delivery makes Paul's soliloquies and songs heartbreaking. When Ms. Holeman and/or Rivera have the stage, it's magic. There are also good moments for Tom Russell as Marco the Magnificent and Betsy Glasson as Rosalie, the comic relief of the show, and for Fred Butler as Jacquot, Paul's assistant. Butler's expressive face and movements often say as much as his words. And the scenes when Lili is working with the puppeteers or singing melodies such as Love Makes the World Go Round or Yum Ticky are wonderful. Still, this production doesn't live up to its potential, mainly because it lacks oomph and energy. The pacing is deadly slow, with awkward pauses between some bits of dialogue and dead air as entrances and exits are made. Secondary players are colorfully costumed, but they often wander onto the stage aimlessly, stand in clumps, then turn and mosey off. Director Diana Forgione needs to help them understand why they're there and what their characters are contributing to the movement of the story at that particular moment. As it is, they seem out of place and are more a distraction than an enhancement. The choreography, such as it is, doesn't always match the abilities of the performers, giving those sequences a ragged look. The large set pieces, though attractive, crowd the stage and make movement cumbersome in spots. Another problem is that key scenes are staged more like a drama than a musical. In drama, everything stops when a principal actor speaks; in musicals, players are often backed by dancing and motion. Sometimes, as during Paul's musings and songs, a still, darkened stage is appropriate. Other moments cry out for comings and goings in the background. After all, this is supposedly the site of a working carnival. The simplicity of this show demands careful and imaginative stagecraft. It can't depend upon performances by a few of the lead players, winning though their ways may be. If you goCarnival, a musical in two acts, at Stage West Community Playhouse, 8390 Forest Oaks Blvd., Spring Hill, Thursdays and weekends through March 24. Shows at 8 p.m., except Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16. Call (352) 683-5113.
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