June Moon is one of those clichéd
song titles that were prevalent during the heyday of Tin Pan Alley, roughly the
end of the 19th century through the early part of the 20th
Century. The title is easy to
remember, can be effortlessly reprised within the body of the work, and the
rhyming schemes are simple and schmaltzy.
Songwriters and music publishers aggressively pushed this type of unimaginative
and hackneyed composition on a susceptible public. They were greatly helped by “song pluggers,” individuals
hired to sing the latest offerings in public venues as one method to market the
newest tunes. This business model,
as well as the music industry of the time, is gently skewered in the 1929
revival of the George S. Kaufman and Ring Lardner comedy, June Moon, which opened the 2014 season of the Williamstown Theatre
Festival.
Lauded in its time, June Moon, comes across today as a less
biting depiction of a bygone era and more 1930’s melodrama of small town yokel
being corrupted by a blonde bombshell and big city life. The show opens as the unsophisticated Fred
Stevens (Nate Corddry) trains to New York City, after leaving his job at
General Electric in Schnectady, to become a songwriting lyricist in The Big
Apple. Onboard he meets
fresh-faced Edna Baker (Rachel Napoleon) and the two, tentatively at first, hit
it off. Fred discusses his plans,
impressing his new, wide-eyed lady friend. They banter.
They laugh. They innocently come up with the title of a song, “June Moon.” Upon arriving in the city the would-be
wordsmith arrives at the apartment of semi-successful composer, Paul Sears
(Rick Holmes), his dispirited wife, Lucille (Kate MacCluggage), and her
unscrupulous sister, Eileen (Holley Fain). Also, in attendance is nightclub entertainer and colleague Maxie
(David Turner). Sears is desperate
for a hit song and, through a letter of introduction, sees Fred Stevens, the
greenhorn, as his possible salvation.
The three men discuss possibilities and settle on developing “June
Moon.” About to leave for a date
with lady friend Edna, Stevens is introduced to captivating and alluring,
Eileen, and is unabashedly smitten.
From there June Moon settles
into a tale of coming up with the big hit. Predictably, “June Moon” does become a success, lining the
pockets of Sears and Stevens with an infusion of cash. Unfortunately, the hard sell and
pushiness of the music business is overshadowed by the relational problems of
Sears and his despondent wife and Fred and his now fiancé, the gold-digging Eileen
(Semi spoiler alert--the kind-hearted Edna does return at the play’s conclusion
for the requisite happy ending).
We get a glimpse of the chaotic music world at the beginning of Act II as
the set unfolds to a raucous suite of singers plugging away songs in
closet-sized offices. The
marvelous Christopher Fitzgerald as the hapless songwriter, Benny Fox, provides
steady comic relief as he desperately tries to impress anyone within breathing
distance with one of his abysmal compositions. The one character that fully embraces the intent of Kaufman
and Lardner is Maxie (David Turner).
The actor is superb as he delivers his sarcastic observations and
smart-alecky remarks, giving the play its lone heft. The rest of the acting company is splendid. Their performances just don’t elevate the
show to a level of real stinging satire of the music industry.
Tobin Ost’s scenic design is
evocative of the time period, especially the music publisher offices. The set changeover between Act I and II
was unnecessarily long, which hopefully will be rectified for the remainder of
the run.
Director Jessica Stone admirably
guides the cast, yet there is not too much movement or flair onstage. The performers do a lot of sitting and
talking, moving around from one location to another, and then continuing their talking
and sitting. Again, once the
action locates to the music publishing offices Stone is able to bring out the
essence of the play with the hustle, bustle, frantic nature of the industry
where sell, sell sell is the nature of the business.
June Moon, more toothless then biting send-up of Tin Pan Alley at the Williamstown Theatre Festival
through July 13th.
