For a couple of local girls who grew up loving the music and movies of Irving Berlin, what could be better than getting to travel the world as performers in Irving Berlin’s I LOVE A PIANO? Returning from that journey and sharing the show with the folks back home, that’s what! And that is exactly what Mac-Haydn favorites Karla and Kelly Shook are doing from May 26th-June 5th as Irving Berlin’s I LOVE A PIANO opens the 43rd season at the MHT.
ILAP is a musical tribute to 64 of Berlin’s biggest hits, including classics such as “White Christmas, Puttin’ on the Ritz, How Deep is the Ocean, There’s No Business Like Show Business,” and “God Bless America.” More than simply a musical review, ILAP is really a nostalgic look back at the 40 years that spanned Berlin’s writing career. Often revered as one of the greatest American songwriters, Berlin wrote music for the average American-- and thus, his music resonated deeply as his fellow countrymen faced Prohibition, The Great Depression, the birth of Hollywood movies, industrialization, and of course, two World Wars. ILAP visits each decade at the start of the 20th Century through the “eyes” of a piano that lived through it all, and brings those memories to life with lots of dancing, comedy, heart, and of course, those great tunes.
What makes this production so special to The Mac-Haydn, is that sisters Karla and Kelly are co-directing the production as well as performing in the six-person ensemble alongside Mac-Haydn regulars John Saunders and Andrea Dotto, and new comers Tim Quartier and Carl Hulden. Both Karla and Kelly had the pleasure of touring Japan this past winter with the show, and are remounting much of the original production created by Ray Roderick and Michael Berkley.
Karla toured the US with the show from 2007-2008, and was asked to join the Japanese tour in 2010. Knowing the show still needed a swing (an understudy for all three female roles) Kelly auditioned and got the job. Together, the sisters visited Sapporo, Nagoya, Sendai, Nara, Amagasaki, Obihiro, Fuji City, Kyoto, and Tokyo. It was the trip of a lifetime, bringing such an iconic piece of American art to Japan, and sharing the experience together.
Kelly and Karla Shook at the Golden Palace in Kyoto
Mounting the show for Mac-Haydn has been a fun task for the Shooks, adapting Roderick’s original staging for “the round.” One of the biggest challenges is also the central concept of the show: telling the story of the piano, while not blocking the view of any audience members with a piano! With lots of creative patterning, and constant scene and costume changes, the sisters are certain they have a product that the audience will enjoy. Of course, they have that other added challenge of directing themselves in the production, but both agree that having two sets of eyes sharing that responsibility helps ease the burden. “It’s great,” said Kelly, “because we can bounce ideas off of each other, and talk through the staging to come up with the best plan together.” Karla replied, “We trust each other, and both know the material so well that it almost directs itself. With the music of Irving Berlin, we don’t need to add too much. The music is the star of the story.”
When asked what their favorite part of that story is, both Shooks immediately reply the end of Act I, the WWII section, which splits the scene between a USO rehearsal and an Army soldier stationed overseas in the thick of the war. “The act gets very poignant with the young couple separated by war, hearing ‘White Christmas’ on both sides of the ocean. It all comes to a close with Karla’s powerful Kate Smith impression singing ‘God Bless America.’ It’s the stuff great theatrical moments are made of,” said Kelly.
And speaking of theatrical moments, Act II lightens up tremendously with a riotous audition for a summer stock production of Annie Get Your Gun in the 1950’s. Karla, who played ‘Annie Oakley’ in last season’s production of that same show, knows a thing or two about that experience! “My character, Sadie, is out to prove she’s not too old to get that role. I have lots of physical comedy that is different from what I got to do in the actual role last summer. This time, it’s all about the audition!”
It’s all about the music here at the Mac-Haydn Theatre, as Irving Berlin’s I LOVE A PIANO gets set to open. “This show has something for everyone,” explained Karla. “It is a great show to see with your whole family, as both a lesson in history and a lesson in American popular music.” Pipes in Kelly, “Plus, it’s just a lot of fun!” Sounds like a great way to start off the summer.
