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Mary Jayne Raleigh, Kat’Taylor and Meegan Midkiff in Becoming George at MetroStage
Photo credit: Stan Barouh 

Review by Debbie Minter Jackson

Becoming George  –  MetroStage

Scene from Becoming George at MetroStage   Jason Hentrich, Mary Jayne Raleigh, 

Meegan Midkiff, Kat'Taylor Photo credit: Stan Barouh

The world premiere musical Becoming George at Metrostage celebrates the life of one of the most colorful, even outrageously artistic figures of all time. Does the musical capture the indomitable spirit, prodigious writings, and mind-boggling life choices of this self-named woman clearly far ahead of her time? Yes, but in its own irresistibly charming way. Becoming George offers a refreshingly light and fun-filled approach to the tumultuous life and times of this celebrated writer whose outpourings from her pen and love decisions of her heart shocked, repelled and fascinated the literary world.

“The play’s the thing” in Becoming George. From the opening scene rehearsal of Sand’s unproduced (and maybe unproducable) Faust, to the antics of rehearsing at her country home, to the cleverly imbedded scene within a scene in the fun-filled finale, the musical celebrates the true and enduring love of George Sand–the power of artistry. Even the set design by Jen Price depicts life as art with pieces of a ubiquitous frame cornering the set, with characters as part of the impressionistic tableau, a surreal interweaving of life and art.

The writers Patti McKenny and Doug Frew, composer Linda Eisenstein, music director Michael D. Flohr, and lyricists are all on the same artistic page in bringing this story to life. The musical numbers advance the story, the melodies are fresh and memorable, and each song matches the tonality, rhythm and style to fit the lyrical message. Still, a musical is only as strong as its delivery, and it is here where George truly shines, with the casting of Kathy “Kat” Taylor in the title role. Taylor plays Sand with a strong yet weary-worn charm, an amazing contralto voice laced with jazzy undertones and an effortless appeal. In addition, Taylor more than holds her own on stage as evidenced from her initial entrance-actors fussily rehearse on stage, then suddenly her voice booms non-stop opinions from the upper reaches at the back of the house. Taylor grabs your attention from the onset as she purposefully strides through the audience down the cascade of stairs. And then there’s the costume-she’s dressed in a startling combination of slacks in front and a cut-away traditional gown in back- a brilliant depiction of the advantage of slacks and the ambitious strides of a woman in a man’s world.

While coming off as disarmingly simple, the plot is thick with rumblings of impending war and civil disturbance, political intrigue, ruminations of a woman determined to be taken as seriously as a man (if not moreso), imaginings of a burgeoning actress ingénue, a son’s attempts to shine outside his father’s giant literary shadow, and immerging feminine power struggles for self-identity. Instead of getting lost in a shuffle, the assorted cast of characters all contribute to the story. Each represents a cause or an issue, but the writers provide them with such purpose, aided by Brett Smock’s skillful director’s touches to humanize them, that we care about them as authentic people rather than caricatures.

In addition, this is an ensemble of accomplished singers, all of whom have had their own turns as star performers. Brian Childers was mesmerizing as Danny Kaye in Danny and Sylvia several years back, and he is just as delightful here delivering just the right expressions when he transitions from playful artistic connoisseur to scowling aristocrat in a flash. Greg Violand’s rendition of the son of Alexander Dumas is boisterously funny with flickers of sadness; the same sweet complexity can be seen in Mary Jayne Raleigh’s turn as the maid/confidante, and Meegan Midkiff is an absolute standout as Sarah Bernhardt with a lyrical voice of pure operatic beauty. Her duet with Taylor Becoming George where she contemplates “Becoming Sarah” produced audible sighs of delight throughout the audience.

In producing Becoming George, Metrostage has proven once again that it has the heart and courage to trust a new script and fresh voices. Launching this ambitious story in a world premiere musical is in keeping with the indomitable trail blazing spirit of George Sand herself.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006 at 7:51 pm and is filed under Our Podcasts, Our Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.