St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 82

8F ST.LUUIS ruSf-QISPATCH FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1988 SCRABBLEGRAMS ANSWER REVIEWS THEATER Musical Revue Marred By Scores Of Sour Notes S00DD RACK 1 RACK 2 RACK 3 RACK 4 Ut PAR SCORE 115-125 LlonMd by Stfchow and Rlghwr ownar of th ngWtd liMtmt SCRABBLE. the situations, and she sometimes did. Her performance of "Gooch's Song" was good, and she did a nice, torchy rendition of "Wherever He Ain't." The other major shortcoming was that the four women did not enunciate well enough, especially in the lower registers, where their voices seemed to lack the strength to deliver. Many key words and phrases were lost along the way, with Gerard and Bixby the prime offenders. Phillip Crews' over-loud percussion didn't help things any.

There were some good moments, primarily in the second act. Bixby got it all together for "Nelson," a funny put-down of the 1930's movie musical hero, but she lost it completely a little later as "It's Today" turned into a disaster. The cast was strongest in the comedic moments; Burdette-Elmore, Bixby and Gerard did well in "Tap Your Troubles Away," with their dancing more successful than their singing. the first act, they are in dresses of unparalleled ugliness. It's one of the few real bright spots, when everything comes together properly, but it's almost all visual.

Otherwise, the four performers might as well have been singing In their living rooms, or in the shower, for all the understanding they brought to the songs. As conceived and written, the music and lyrics were integral parts of shows; they advanced the story or illuminated the characters. With rare exceptions, Leslie Bixby, Michele Bur-dette-Elmore, Deborah Gerard and Zoe Vonder Haar showed little concept of what the songs meant, except as something to fill time and space during the evening. Most of the exceptions came from Vonder Haar, who fortunately had several of the humorous numbers. She's experienced enough as a comedian to get the most out of Burdette-Elmore showed some dancing skills, and Gerard did a strong rendition of "Shalom," a level she failed to reach anywhere else along the way.

The revue is built mainly from "Hello, Dolly!" "Mame," "Mack and Mabel" and "La Cage aux Folles," but also includes numbers from "Dear World," "Milk and "A Night in Hollywood" and Herman's first show, a revue called "Parade." Director Michael Hamilton staged things well, using the difficult Kirkwood stage to major effectiveness, and the performers struggled successfully through a large number of costume changes and difficult entrances, but Hamilton, and Brad Hofeditz, the musical director, failed in the performance area. Wayne Linder's set was simple and proper, his lighting good, but the highlight was the costumes, and you can't hum them on the way home. 4-75 OFF Our Everyday Low Prices All Summer Merchandise New Fall Merchandise Arriving Daily Large selection of Briefcases, Attaches, Portfolios, etc. FILM er manuals to Shakespeare. And his friend Ben Jahvri (Fisher Stevens) continues to mangle the language.

My favorite of his Spoonerisms was, "Time is fun if you're having flies." John Badham directed the original movie, and Bad-ham has a real knack for providing entertaining juxtapositions between technology and human beings. Ken 15 59 107 189 JUDD'S TOTAL Hurry For Best Selection! Town Country Commons to ml. South of Hwy. 40 on Woods Mill Rd. 391-8883 Hours: 10-9 Sun.

12 5 Olive on Creve Coeur Mill Road $85.00 Advance Class Maximum 8 women per class Starting 6-7 pm 6-7 pm 6-7 pm 6-7 pm 6-7 pm pm pm pm pin pm 1:30 am 1:30 am $85.00 Advance Class Maximum 6 men per class PROFESSIONAL TEACHING STAFF T.D. Morris Teaching Bill Whitfield Lee Van Dover Steve Harris Handbag Factory ALWAYS AT GREAT SAVINGS 1J Men and Women's Golf Clinics id "uTKIE LrDOSSllSSQtPPa being held at Little Lake Golf Range In 2155 Creve Coeur Mill Road Maryland Heights, MO 63146 Si 576-9969 rial debut His next effort, if ever he gets the opportunity, will have to be better. (At the Chesterfield, Galleria, Lindbergh Plaza, Northwest Square, Regency, St. Clair, Sunset.) "SHORT CIRCUIT 2" Rating: PG. Running time: 1 :50.

By Harper Barnes Post-Dispatch Critic at Large THERE ARE a few amusing scenes in "Short Circuit 2," a harmless, routine sequel to the original surprise hit. The cute robot, Number 5 or Johnny 5, as he is sometimes called is back, this time in an unnamed city. (The movie was mostly shot in Toronto.) Number 5 runs into some predictable urban problems and continues to suck in and spew out Information from sources ranging from comput 1 800 US BONDS U.S. SAVINGS BONDS THE GPEAT AMERICAN INVESTMENT 2'A Miles West of 1-270 1 'A Miles North of Women's Golf Clinic Starting am 1:30 am 6-7 pm pm am am 6-7 pm 7:15 8:15 pm am 1:30 am 6-7 pm pm am 1:30 am 6-7 pm pm am 1:30 am 6-7 pm pm pm am am 1:30 am til nn July ll-August July I2-Auiusl 16 July I.VAuiiusI 17 July I4-Auusll8 July 15-Auxusl 19 July 16-AuRust 20 July 17-AuKust 21 neth Johnson, whose experiences are mostly in television, directed this one without nearly so much flair, although to be fair, Badham did not have the disadvantage of having to go through all these things twice. (At the Clarkson, Des Peres, Galleria, Halls Ferry, Kenrick, Northwest Square, Ronnies, St.

Charles.) OPENING JULY I3th ON THE QPMIRQL A Sumptuous Royal Hawaiian Luau Buffet Exciting Musical Extravaganza Luncheon Dinner Luaus Wed. thru Sat Sun. Matinee by the set iiiiiiniii i in in i Cost: 6 I hour lessons $55.00 per person (for 6 weeks) Men's Golf Clinics July ll-August 15 July 12-August 16 July 13-AuKUSt 17 July 14-August 18 July IS-August 19 July 16-August 20 July 17-Aunust 21 Cost: 6 1 hour lessons am am $65.00 per person (for 6 weeks) 342-7200 Practice balls extra clubs furnished if needed PROFESSIONAL TEACHING STAFF Zeke Seeger Lessons given by Qualified tarry Slaitery Gordin Zicgler Kent Johnson Professionals For any additional information Little Lake Golf Range at please call 576-9969 By Joe Pollack the Post-Dispatch Staff THE MUSIC of Jerry Herman has celebrated women like Mame Dennis and Dolly Levi, certainly two of the most remarkable characters of our century, and the shows that bear their names have been successes as large as the characters themselves. His music is always hummable, his lyrics usually sentimental. "Jerry's Girls" is a musical revue, a collection of more than three dozen of his songs, but the material received woefully shabby treatment at the hands of the Stages Production Company Wednesday night as it opened a two-weekend run at the Kirkwood Community Center.

The brightest part of the evening is the costuming, coordinated brilliantly by Susan Binder and Ken Yount. When the performers do the "Hello Dolly!" number that ends "LICENSE TO DRIVE" Rating: PG-13. Running Time: 1:30 By Joe Pollack Of the Pest-Dispatch Staff JUST WHEN I thought it was safe to go back to the movies, when it appeared that movie makers had realized grown-ups existed, when it seemed all the Hollywood stunt drivers had retired or had Joined Joie Chitwood at the great race track in the sky. I smiled, took a deep breath and oops, along came "License to Drive." There certainly Is no more important day in a young person's life than a 16th birthday and a chance to earn a driver's license, that plastic-covered ticket to freedom and debauchery. But this arrant nonsense, obviously aimed at children who aren't yet 16 but who have the fantasies, goes beyond all bounds of intelligence and grace.

Corey Haim, so bright in "The Lost Boys" last summer, is dumb enough in this film to make one believe he's the real son of Carol Kane and Richard Masur. They come across as the stupidest parents either on screen or off who ever have come down the pike. Grandpa, who doesn't show up until late, also seems a few bricks shy of a load, so maybe it's in the genes. Anyway, Haim sleeps through drivers' education class, flunks his test and takes "Grandpa's car anyway, just because Heather Graham winks at him a couple of times. Corey Feldman, also strong in "The Lost Boys, is Haim friend, who incites much of the stupid behavior.

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