'Tomfoolery' still needs polishing

RALEIGH -- Stagelight Productions, formerly of the San Francisco Bay Area, makes its Triangle debut with the North Carolina premiere of "Tomfoolery," a revue with songs by Tom Lehrer, the iconoclastic social and political humorist of the 1950s and 1960s.

Lehrer's fame came from his LPs of wickedly satiric compositions, such as "Smut," "The Vatican Rag," and "National Brotherhood Week," poking fun at censorship, religion and prejudice. Beloved by college students and anti-establishment types, his equal-opportunity-offender songs gained a new audience when Cameron Mackintosh adapted them into "Tomfoolery" in 1980.

Establishing a new theater in a crowded local field requires a certain chutzpah, so it makes sense that producer/director Jonathan Rosen chose such a premiere to grab attention for his company, bolstered by his four previous productions of the show in California.

Stagelight is billed as a semi-professional company. Judged at that level, the production has modest charm and good-natured spirit, but it needs more polish and pizazz than director Rosen musters to rank it with fare from similar area companies.

Staging these songs, which Lehrer merely sang at a piano, is risky. Emphasis must be placed on the all-important lyrics and punch lines. Unfortunately, the eight cast members' widely varying vocal talents and senses of timing often keep the funniest lines from being hit squarely or being fully heard.

Choreographer Dudley Brooks exacerbates the problem. He has many clever ideas (tequila bottles for maracas, a Star of David formed by Hanukkah dancers), but most numbers have so much gesture and dance that visuals dominate lyrics. There's also too much focus on props and costumes, the cast constantly rushing off stage to change them.

The best moments come when actors have minimal gestures and can deliver words meaningfully, such as JeMarl Kearney's cocky ditty, "The Hunting Song," Bobby Rathbone's macabre "I Hold Your Hand in Mine" and LeDawna Akins' vamping of "Oedipus Rex." Coty Cockrell has the most confidence and zany comic sense, offering a hyper-speed periodic table in "The Elements" and some naughty shenanigans in "The Masochism Tango" (with deadpan assistance from Staci Sabarsky).

Julie Willard, Pat Berry, Ruth Berry and Kendra Adams (an unannounced addition singing an unannounced song) have fleeting moments of engagement. Director Rosen doubles as keyboard player (aided by saxophonist Brannon Bollinger) with a good grasp of the varying song styles.

The cast seemed under-rehearsed at Sunday's matinee, its tentativeness needing precision and pace. Perhaps the show will gel during its lengthy run.

The cast's desire to please, combined with Lehrer's still-pungent zingers, may prove enough to entertain, but Stagelight Productions will need stronger future showings to keep up with the competition.