Civic Theater's 'Camera' Clicks On Opening Night

Civic Theater’s ‘Camera’ Clicks On Opening Night

“I AM A CAMERA”

A comedy drama in three acts and seven scenes by John van Druten. Adapted from “The Berlin Stories” by Christopher Isherwood. Presented by the Ann Arbor Civic Theater. Directed by Ted Heusel. Setting by Gene Conover. At the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater.

CAST

Sally Replinger, Joel Rowley, Beth True, Veitch Reinhart, John W. Rae, Helga Hoyer and Frederic Bell.

By Ronald Muchnick

This is a red-letter year for the Ann Arbor Civic Theater. Five weeks ago the organization scored an outstanding success with “Picnic.” And last night it came up with a production of John van Druten’s entertaining Broadway hit, “I Am A Camera,” that is, on the whole, highly admirable. It certainly impressed a large opening night audience favorably.

Based on some short stories by Christopher Isherwood, the play takes place during those insane days in Germany when the Hitler regime was just coming to power. The play is narrated by the character of Isherwood, but the principle focus is on a young British girl named Sally Bowles. A first impression is that she is just a tramp, but Sally is soon seen as a little child who has never really grown up and who wants to experience everything the world has to offer, especially those things which she has been told to stay away from.

In the role of Sally, Sally Replinger gives a performance that the opening night audience took genuine delight in. The stage lights up when she makes her first entrance. As she downs a raw egg and Worcestershire sauce, admires a gaudy hat because it is expensive, makes up a popular song on the spur of the moment with Isherwood, or bitterly berates him one instant only to staunchly defend him the next, she is engagingly uproarious. But beneath the glittery surface and the green fingernail polish is clearly shown the lonely little girl who both desperately reaches out for and draws back from true love.

The cast is full of Civic Theater veterans and they all come through in fine style. Joel Rowley brings an appropriate sense of humor, stability and understanding to his performance as Isherwood. Although there are moments when he needs a little more vocal energy, his work is otherwise very fine.

As the landlady, Beth True gets the evening off to a good start with a very funny interlude. Popping in and out of the proceedings, she also does well with her more serious moments. Helga Hover and Frederic Bell give sensitive interpretations as two confused German young people caught up in the nightmare of the times.

John W. Rae won a good share of the evening’s long stream of laughs as an exhuberant American playboy on a continual vacation, as did Veitch Reinhart as Sally’s mother.

The play is full of saucy banter, but thanks to the adeptness of the performance, it never sinks to the level of vulgarity.

A long play in the writing, “Camera” was played last night at a brisk clip, yet this pace could still be almost doubled. Since this is an area in which director Ted Heusel excels, the performance tonight and Saturday should find this taken care of.