Strings maketh the musical. Such is the lesson from the inaugural concert performance from the London Musical Theatre Orchestra at Cadogan Hall: State Fair conducted by an enthusiastic and musically vibrant Freddie Tapner. The orchestral texture and sheer ebullience of the playing was overwhelming, reminding everyone present that, really, what made audiences adore musicals was not stars, but orchestras and orchestrations. It also pungently articulated what is tragically missing most from modern day productions of classic musicals. Synthesised sound is not, and never has been, a replacement for a first rate orchestra.
State Fair is one of the less trumpeted works of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It began life as a cinematic experience (it was twice a film, in 1945 and then remade in 1962) and then in 1969 it premiered on stage. It finally came to Broadway in 1996, produced by David Merrick. For the stage, the original score was augmented with numbers from Pipe Dream, Allegro, Me and Juliet and one cut from Oklahoma!. It was but a modest success.
Tonight at Cadogan Hall, State Fair had a greater success.
Under the baton of Freddie Tapner, the London Musical Theatre Orchestra played its first concert. A group of diverse musicians, some very experienced, some embarking upon their musical careers, all of whom love playing, as specialists, musical theatre scores, the London Musical Theatre Orchestra is, on the strength of its handling of State Fair, a marvellous and well overdue addition to the musical theatre landscape of London.
Tapner has the vitality and charisma necessary to inspire excellence in orchestral playing and his complete immersion in the score, and clear understanding of the different requirements a musical places upon a conductor, was the key to the evening’s strengths. His passionate love for the material was palpable, from his zealous exactitude about tempi, timbre and tone, to his irrepressible smile when giving cues to the singers.
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The strings section worked its magic constantly, soaring when the melody required it or supporting the rhythmic energies of dance sequences or rousing choruses. Excellent work was everywhere in evidence - percussion, woodwind, brass, all outstanding, with exceptional virtuoso solo work as Rodgers’ score required it. Bruce Pomahac’s vital orchestrations gave Tapner and his players a solid foundation - and they measured up in every way.
Although Rodger’s score does not have an overall coherence, a product of its conception and a marked distinction from most of the other Rodgers and Hammerstein repertoire, Tapner managed to ensure that it seemed to have that coherence. The energy in the playing and the overall lustre of the sound smoothed over the bumps - Allegro’s So Far and Pipe Dreams’ The Man I Used To Be did not seem truly out of place.
Our State Fair, It’s A Grand Night For Singing and All I Owe Ioway were faultlessly played, full of earthy, contrapuntal glory, raucous brassy sounds and insinuating melodies. No one left Cadogan Hall without humming, whistling or singing one of those tunes.
State Fair, musically if not dramatically, is a bit of an adventure. The last gasp of the hold of the musical expectations created by popular Operettas can be seen in some of the material but so too can new developments - jazzy and brassy themes bubble away, providing real interest and holding a candle to the future.
The story is hokey, silly love stories and tales of pickles and boars, all wrapped in the notion of the Great American Homestead - a direct link to Oklahoma! is all but unavoidable. State Fair is like that musical’s urchin cousin - slightly unkempt, a bit silly, but undeniably cheerful.
The cast assembled here included some stand-out performers. Richard Fleeshman (Pat Gilbert), Celinde Schoenmaker (Margy Frake) and Emma Hatton (Emily Arden) all shone. Schoenmaker’s glorious and very sweet soprano made short work of It Might As Well Be Spring, leaving a gossamer impression of wistful joy which defined her performance.
Fleeshman, dapper and suave, worked splendidly with Schoenmaker in Isn’t It Kinda Fun and gave the best turn of the evening with The Man I Used To Be. Hatton was at the top of her game in That’s The Way It Happens and brought a vocal individuality to her performance which worked well for her character.
There was good, but inconsistent, work from Wendi Peters, Clive Carter, Matthew Pennington and Chris McGuigan. Largely, Oliver Savile and Anthony Wise were awkward dramatically, although Savile had nice moments vocally, especially in So Far.
Thom Southerland’s staging was minimal but occasionally awkward - entrances and exits were sometimes contrary to the dramatic expectations of the narrative, with, for instance, characters who were looking for particular other characters passing them but not seeing them. It was hard to wonder why it was not simply decided to allow the entire line of principals to sit across the stage, coming forward for their scenes or songs.
Better microphone technique was needed by most of the principals - often they were out of range. Nick Lidster’s sound design was more than adequate, the clarity of the lyrics almost never being compromised despite the power and zest of the orchestra. Occasionally, individuals were swamped, but not continually. More familiarity with the microphones would probably have ironed out these niggles.
State Fair may never be anyone’s favourite Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, but it really has no business being anyone’s least favourite. As this splendid musical realisation of its greatest strength, its score, proved so easily, State Fair can provide a grand night for singing and be kinda fun. With the wonderful London Musical Theatre Orchestra under Freddie Tapner, you never had State Fair so good.