A less-than-rave revue A less-than-rave revue (July 16, 2004)

Bus Barn's solid cast can't overcome weak show

by Jeanie Forte

M orris Bobrow's musical revue about the vagaries of travel, "Are We Almost There?", is practically a San Francisco institution by now, having been running continuously at the Shelton Theatre since February 2002.

With its cast of two men and two women, it has provided numerous Bay Area actors with gainful employment for months at a time, as actors rotate in or out. It has also been nominated for two Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle awards.

In all this time, I've never seen it, until the recent opening of the first-ever Peninsula version of the revue at the Bus Barn Stage Company in Los Altos. I was looking forward to finding out why this show has enjoyed such longevity, and being able to see it in my own backyard. In researching the show's history, I frequently found the words "hilarious" and "rollicking" in the descriptions, so I hoped for more than a few laughs.

In case you don't already know, a revue is basically a sequence of songs, with virtually no dialogue or script -- just one song after another, usually thematically linked in some way. In Bobrow's revue, songs about travelling in cars are side by side with songs about European travel, travelling with friends, smoking abroad, B&Bs, insane tour schedules and the like.

Four superb performers play all the characters required of the songs, in various combinations or solo. Molly Carter, who was a recent Bus Barn standout in "The Goodbye Girl," returns with her excellent comic and vocal talents. Jacqueline McSwanson's voice was a bit breathy in her opening solo, but improved as the show went on. She showed her vocal mettle in later numbers, and is clearly a strong, proficient actress.

Tim Reynolds, who reminded me of Henry Winkler (in a good way), possesses a gorgeous voice and terrific acting skills. And Nick Nakashima has a voice like honey, with the ability to bring home raucous comedy as well as a sweet love song.

I kept wondering what a great show it could have been if these wonderful performers had better material. I kept trying to enjoy the show more, thinking that two and a half years of performances must mean the show is good, on some level. I kept hoping to find it funnier, when it mostly seemed banal, or mean-spirited, or simply in bad taste. What a strange feeling indeed, to find myself loving the performers' voices and energy and efforts -- and find little to love in the show itself.

Some of the 24 numbers are amusing -- the satire on bed-and-breakfast inns made me chuckle, and "Mediterranean Memories," about an ill-fated trip to Italy, included some of the more clever lyrics. I enjoyed the quieter moment of "St. John," featuring the liquid harmonies of McSwanson and Nakashima. The company number about a tightly-scheduled tour of Hawaii was easily the best of the show, with great choreography (by Shannon Stowe), fun lyrics and the combined talents of all four performers.

There were a few other bright moments, but they were too fleeting to add up to a hit show. Sometimes the musical cadences were mystifying, and other times the lyrics were yawningly predictable or even vaguely offensive. The entire show has the same sarcastic tone about everything, which gets tiresome and irritating.

Occasionally the performers seem misdirected, as in the "Gruesome Twosome" duet of McSwanson and Carter. Here they projected unappealing character voices -- bright, nasal sounds that were clearly intentional but actually painful to hear. A more straightforward delivery might have enhanced the quirky humor of the piece.

All of the production values are handsome and well-matched to the nature of the show. Director Barbara Cannon, choreographer Stowe and the rest of the production staff have assembled a fine cast, a beautiful, simple set, and put all of the elements together nicely. It should add up to a better show than it does.

Why Bobrow's revue continues to run in San Francisco, and why blurbs in entertainment listings continue to call it "hilarious" and "rollicking," and why anyone would want to import it anywhere, remains a mystery to me.

What: "Are We Almost There?" presented by Bus Barn Stage Company

Where: Bus Barn Theatre, 97 Hillview Ave. in Los Altos.

When: Show times are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays, July 18 and 25, at 3 p.m.

Cost: Tickets are $25 for performances Thursdays through Saturdays; $20 for Sundays.

Info: For tickets please call the box office at (650) 941-0551 or visit www.busbarn.org.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]