"The Boy Friend" - A Review

    The beautiful thing about theatre is that is can transport you to a different time and place - it can be as timely as today’s headlines, or as far away as... well, The Boy Friend.

  The musical comedy premiered on Broadway in the 1950s and is set in the Riviera during the “Roaring ‘20s” - so you know you’re in for a lighthearted romp.

   No heavy messages here, just lots of wonderful singing and dancing - in fact, the show  has more songs and more dance numbers than most musicals. There’s just enough dialogue to bridge to the next song.

   The story is a classic. It centers around the students at a school for young ladies and their dreams of romance. One girl in particular - Polly (played by Molly Maynard) - finally seems to find that special someone as she falls for the dreamy Tony (Mike Naglee) - ah, but the course of love never did run smooth. 

   Another girl, Maisie (Jocelyn Clark Knapp), has the opposite problem - she has too many beaus chasing her! But Bobby (Eric Wilson) is determined to win her heart.

   The show is lots of fun as the girls and their guys frolic at the beach, attend a masquerade party and in general live a happy, carefree life. 

   The cast is wonderfully talented, singing and dancing up a storm (and how they can sing and tap dance at the same time is beyond me).

   Providing much of the show’s comic relief are veteran performers Karen Kelly Pruitt (as instructor Madame Dubonnet), Mike Murdock (as the snooty Percival Browne), the comically philandering Lord Brockhurst (Todd L Green) and his domineering wife, the Lady Brockhurst (the always-delightful Linda Reynolds).

   The sets are minimal, which works perfectly for the show, capturing the bright spirit of the era perfectly.

    The costumes are a wonder - bright, colorful, perfect for the period - and the ones created for the final act, set at a costume party, are spectacular.

   Kudos to the orchestra, as well, providing a full, rich performance to round out a music-filled show.

   This is not a heavy, ponderous performance - it’s a light, frilly, fun evening. It invites you to check your troubles at the door and travel to a happier time!

   Highly recommended!  

   (You have three more chances to catch the show - Arts Resources for the Tri-State presents The Boy Friend at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, May 30-31 and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. on June 1 at the Renaissance Theatre at 900 8th Street in Huntington.)