Review: END OF THE RAINBOW at Stages Repertory Theatre

Stages Repertory Theatre always wants to bring back the legends. Whether it's Patsy Cline, Mae West, or Diana Vreeland, they seem to specialize in shows seeking to recreate iconic artists of the past in some way, shape, or fashion. This season they offer Houston Judy Garland with the regional premiere of Peter Quilter's END OF THE RAINBOW. It's another "jukebox musical" that showcases Judy's greatest hits, but also depicts dramatic scenes from the last few months of her life. Like Garland herself, the show is obsessed with high energy musical uppers contrasted with dark dramatic downers in between. It's a roller coaster ride of songs mixed with self destruction as we watch a star orchestrate her own death.

Judy is played in this performance by the immensely talented Carolyn Johnson. The actress doesn't look too much like her, but she has the mannerisms and talking down pat. The amazing part comes when she gets to sing during the concert sequences where she nails the Garland contralto voice and dazzles with the same movement of the icon. It's a dynamic performance that captures Garland's stage style with dizzying accuracy. She's the soul of the show, and Carolyn creates a Judy that is painfully believable in her struggle and awesome in her singing. She's certainly what makes END OF THE RAINBOW a success.

The play starts off with Judy Garland arriving in London just before her 1968 concert series at The Talk of the Town. She has her new soon to be fifth hubby in tow, Mickey Deans. They are joined in her hotel suite by Anthony, her gay pianist and band leader for the comeback. Deans is portrayed by H.R. Bradford who looks the part, and is appropriately sleazy and sincere in the right measure. L. Jay Meyer takes on Anthony, a composite character who represents Garland's legion of gay fans across the world. He provides a sincere devotion to Garland that is always touching and rings true. Tevyn Washington does double duty as a couple of roles to fill out the show. The audience is transported from suite to stage throughout the two acts, and we get to see Judy at her highest and lowest. The supporting cast is strong with mainly the two men fighting with and over Garland throughout the proceedings. They deliver earnest performances that fit their respective roles as two very different variations of the caretaker.

Director Kenn McLaughlin has done an amazing job making END OF THE RAINBOW move seamlessly. His command of staging blends the worlds of hotel suite and nightclub stage briskly, and he keeps the actors in check as well. It's a handsome production that makes great use of the auditorium which is wonderfully intimate yet still impressive. Musical Director Steven Jones has managed to make the score work like gangbusters, and his orchestra is impressively adept at recreating the Garland songbook without a hitch or sour note. The musical portions of this show are divine and well thought out. Costumes and scenery are well executed as well with impressive touches of authenticity coming from both.

The only drab part of the evening comes in the shape of some clunky dialogue patches that are straight out of the script. In act two sequences pop up where Garland and her pianist have painfully broad conversations about her importance to the culture, and it seems pandering to a target audience rather than real conversation. Both actors handle these moments just fine, but they seem to betray the very real feeling of act one's witty clever natural dialogue. There's also the matter of wigs and makeup which could have helped complete Johnson's becoming Judy. They seem off, and hard to believe with a bar full of drag performers across the street Stages couldn't find the right help for that illusion.

All in all END OF THE RAINBOW is a dazzling mix of musical ingenuity and dramatic confrontation. Garland is shown as a foul-mouthed pill popping trainwreck in her hotel suite, but allowed to shine like the diamond she was onstage. It's an intense experience that brings the legacy of the lady to life. Carolyn Johnson does justice to Garland by bringing the house down with her musical numbers and grounding the struggle of addiction in the rest of the show. Her supporting cast help to shape the experience expertly, and the production's technical merits outshine any shortcomings. This is a rare chance to see what made Judy Garland such a brilliant broken performer of the highest calibre. Stages has once again succeeded in bringing a legend to life.

END OF THE RAINBOW runs Wednesdays through Sundays until April 10th at Stages Repertory Theatre. Tickets can be purchased online at www.stagestheatre.com or by calling their box office at (713) 527-0123.

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