Two sets of performers scan a decade and a half of
American pop songs to show how they were "Reflections" of what was
going on in the world. It's announced that in 1959 favorite singers were Frank
Sinatra and Doris Day. The next year brought in revolutionary change: Motown.
Befitting the '60s of the Civil Rights movement, the singers are black (Robert
H. Fowler, Natalie Renee) and white (Job Christenson, Melissa Fleming). All
equally share solos and lyric dramatizations, interspersed with comments about
their being interwoven with time-appropriate historical events. The show begins
and ends with "Dancin' in the Street." In between there's a lot of hip shaking in Act I with The
Temptations' "The Way You Do the Things You Do" and Reeves and The
Vandellas' "Heat Wave."
Treatments generally get more serious in Act II with the songs from
middle to late '60s and 1970's like "Heaven Help Us All" and a
plaintive "I'll Be There."
Highlights include "Stand By Me" of '61 (done
three times, once out in the clapping audience), a much counterpointed "You've Made Me So Very
Happy" and several Stevie Wonder hits (one done especially effectively by
Fowler). "Please, Mr. Postman," sung in the context of soldiers in
Viet Nam awaiting mail from home, blends drama and comedy. Renee's treatment of
"Feelin' Good" recalls Nina Simone . Christenson is the soloist to
watch for facial expressions. They're helped by mood-changing through the color and sparkling lights
of a backdrop by Nicole Lee. She also designed two bold sets in each act of satiny black sheaths for the women and men's jackets and trousers, with slashes of
fuchsia, blue, green, purple in jewelry and fabric insets.
Pianist Jim Prosser performs unobtrusively to one side of
the small stage with little of the varied light designer Colleen Jennings
provides for the singers. John Franceschina directs the music. John
Valines is responsible for the
sound design. Everything is
over-amped for the cabaret space and music at intermission is so loud that
conversation is almost impossible. During the cold spell when
"Reflections" debuted, earmuffs must have come in doubly handy!
Dru Harwood and Barbara Gantt are Stage Managers for the
hour and a half original show.