Circa hits right notes with ‘Stand By Your Man’

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By Ruby Nancy | Thursday, September 28, 2006 12:56 AM CDT | () comments

CIRCA ’21 Laura Hughes and Larry Tobias as Tammy Wynette and George Jones in “Stand By Your Man.”

It’s hard to imagine that very many people in this area — at least those of a certain age — have never heard of Tammy Wynette, the legendary singer once known as the Queen of Country Music.

Some may also believe that anyone not already a Wynette fan would not care for “Stand By Your Man: The Tammy Wynette Story,” which opened last weekend at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse in Rock Island.

These assumptions would be a mistake, however, since Wynette’s name is less well-known among later generations than are many other major country music artists from her era. Her biggest fans are likely the ones to be most critical of an imitator, which might mean that purists could be less than happy with how things sound; and unless you are categorically opposed to any kind of twang at all, there is plenty to enjoy in this musical revue. (I also daresay that the folks who would say they are not familiar with her music will also hear plenty of tunes they recognize, since her career and recordings covered a lot of ground.)

Laura Hughes stars as Wynette, turning in an earnest and emotional performance, and her singing is a close copy of the star many will remember. Yes, a few phrases have too much of the crisp attack Wynette gave beginning consonants — and once I heard the word “want” sung with a standard pronunciation rather than the regional one which makes it sound more like “won’t” — but Hughes gets the bright silvery tones just right every time, completely nails the quiet, almost talky delivery of a few numbers, and belts out a better-than-decent twang whenever it is called for. Her portrayal of Wynette in scene work is also nice, showing us the fragile truth and the revisionist aspects of a story about this country superstar who faced many obstacles — including a sexist industry, childhood poverty, addiction, loneliness and major health problems — to her success. I enjoyed her “I Still Believe in Fairy Tales” and “Till I Get It Right” most of all.

Erin Dickerson also turns in a lot of fine ensemble work, playing Young Tammy as well as a Nashville friend and one of Wynette’s daughters. As MeeMaw (Wynette’s mother), Kim Harne does the best she can with this stereotypical country harpy role (think Vicki Lawrence as Mama in that old “Mama’s Family” sitcom) and play several smaller roles, too. The male ensemble members, who all come from the on-stage band — and do so more seamlessly than you would expect — play the rest of the people who appear in the story. These singers all sound really good, both individually and on company numbers, and their consistent work helps this show come alive.

A superb band, led by Chris Blisset, also adds much to the overall quality of this production, and every time the play a different kind of tune you will find yourself in awe of how well they do it.

The show’s absolute standout, however, is Larry Tobias, who is a stunning-to-the-point-of-eerie George Jones. He’s got the crusty demeanor, the angst-laden delivery, the gravelly twang, the broad stance and the laconic manner — all of them dead-on. Fans of Jones, in fact, may enjoy this show more than anyone else because of his fantastic portrayal. His work on “Why Baby Why,” “If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me,” and especially the awesome “The Race is On” are fabulously enjoyable.

As for small things, a bit about the Hilary Clinton episode might annoy some audience members and thrill others, and some great (and occasionally funny) costuming will tickle some who remember when men really did wear things like red double-knit pants with white belts.

Some might find the inexplicably gleeful delivery of “God’s Gonna Getcha For That” a jarring, even scary interruption to “Stand By Your Man,” which otherwise deserves plenty of praise.

The latest late-night production from My Verona Productions is called “The Non-Conformists Double Bill,” a pairing of two one-person shows that touch on a number of controversial subjects.

Tied together by a common format and by references to drug use and sex — but little else — “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll,” by Eric Bogosian, and “It’s Just a Ride,” featuring material by Bill Hicks, are the shows presented on this bill.

The first stars Jason Conner in a series of short monologues, all of which center on the topics featured in its title, and the second showcases the talents of Adam Michael Lewis.

Conner’s delivery of each section of the “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” script is more than adequate, covering a range of accents and types of characters well. Simply dressed and often seated, Conner delivers bits that vary in length and relative obscenity, and — though the material is not as good as his performance — he applies himself throughout. Given the nature of the material, his lovely blond looks and gleaming smile are actually a distraction from his performance, and the result comes across more like an extended audition than a play.

In the case of “It’s Just a Ride,” which is described as “a tribute to a man who … never sold out, never compromised, and never backed down,” the text comes from an interwoven collection of standup material from Hicks’ comedy routines. Put together in a seamless way, they blend into a single standup performance that is broad in scope and riveting in its passion — and, true to Hicksian form, also absolutely hilarious.

Lewis is a stellar performer, and his work here is wonderfully done.

He captures the essence of true standup, which blends prepared jokes with audience interaction, and he also manages to channel quite a bit of Hicks as well. (For the uninitiated, Hicks was a passionate and articulate comic whose thoughtful, side-splitting rants had political and cultural insight as well as outrageous humor. His death in 1994, following a bout with pancreatic cancer, ended a varied, controversial, influential, below-the-radar career far too soon.)

Lewis is natural and nuanced in this performance. His delivery is so unaffected throughout that afterward I heard someone ask the person next to them if “Ride” was an all-improv show. Whether pacing the small stage or delivering a stream of jokes stockstill, Lewis (as Hicks) is full of energy and emotion. His complete immersion in the work is an amazing feat of top-notch acting that pays off in a major way, earning huge, gut-busting laughs and even mid-rant applause that is completely deserved.

While many may find something to challenge them in Hicks’ rather salty monologues — and, undoubtedly, a certain ultra-conservative segment of the population would find most of this material highly offensive — he had plenty to say about the state of the world. Sadly, much of his material concerning war, hatred, ignorance and hypocrisy is just as relevant in 2006 as it was when he first delivered it.

It is a show for adults, no doubt, and probably is not to be recommended for the faint of heart (regardless of age). Full of observations on hot-topic issues, it has plenty for audiences to get worked up about, but these are not caveats. Its words deserve to be heard by a larger audience than this production will probably get — and some who do hear them might become angry or uncomfortable.

“It’s Just a Ride” is, regardless, a great piece of theater.

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if you go

What: “Stand By Your Man: The Tammy Wynette Story”

When: Through Nov. 2; Performances at 5:45 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 3:45 p.m. Sundays and 11:45 a.m. Wednesdays

Where: Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island

How much: $41.60 Friday-Sunday, $39 Wednesday evening, $36.40 Wednesday matinees

Information: (309) 786-7733, Ext. 2.