Review: SONGS OF THE GREAT WAR at Musical Theater Heritage

They called it the "War To End All Wars." Between 1914 and 1918, over 17 million souls gave up their lives on the altar of the first-ever modern war. Musical Theater History (MTH) at Crown Center presents a new and fascinating look back called "Songs of the Great War."

The production "Songs Of The Great War" is co-sponsored by MYH and the National World War I Museum and Memorial. Veterans are invited to attend the production free with advanced tickets.

MTH founder, Executive Director, author, and host George Harter serves as our tour guide for this original journey back in time to the decades just preceding 1920. A wonderful cast of seven and a five member orchestra perform a specially assembled and arranged score by MTH Musical Director Jeremy Watson.

"Songs of the Great War" is a departure from the usual MTH fare. Director Tim Scott has created an experience a theater in the round or more correctly for this "the square." The show is highly choreographed by Kenny Personett. The effect is to allow access to the action from all four viewing directions with the pit band seated dead center of a low perimeter runway platform. The choreography and direction is careful to pay similar attention to all seating areas.

A remarkable quality of this century old music which is largely still familiar to audiences even though the original context may be largely lost. "Over There" by George M. Cohan (whose statue still presides over Times Square) came out of Cohan's futile attempt to enlist in the U.S. Army. Cohan was patriotic as they come, but he was also judged too old to serve at 38 years of age. "Oh, How I Get Up In The Morning" began as a comic lament from a young Irving Berlin. Eventually, Berlin was freed from "Having To Get Up In The Morning" and the one song expanded into a full all-soldier show called "Yip, Yaphank."

Other familiar music includes "Keep The Home Fires Burning," "It's A Long Way To Tipperary," "I Didn't Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier," and the U.S. Army song "Caissons Go Rolling Along. " German American composer Kurt Weil contributed "Mack The Knife."

"Danny Boy" came with two sets of lyrics designed to be sung by singers of different genders. The traditional tune originally called "Londonerry Air." Surprisingly, "Danny Boy" has little to do with the Republic of Ireland although it has become associated with it.. It was written by an English songwriter Frederick Weatherly with music from the UK province of Northern Ireland. It lamented a loss of a son to the war.

All the performers in "Songs From The Great War" are excellent. The choral work offered by all singers is outstanding and each singer is featured in at least solo number David Adams is an operatic Tenor with credits from the Metropolitan Opera among others and ownership of 2012 Grammy. Kayla Wilkens is David's female counterpoint. She is this year's winner of the Bill Hays Award at the National Music Theater Competition. Taylor Avazpour, Christopher Thomas Owen, and Bob Wearing complete the male cast. The female cast members include Ms. Wilkens, Jessica Alcorn, and Maggie Marx.

The show ends with another Irving Berlin's prayer to his adopted homeland "God Bless America."

"Songs Of the Great War" continues to be performed at Musical Theater Heritage in Crown Center through October 16. Tickets are available online at www.muscialtheaterheritage.com or by telephone at (816) 221-6987.

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