By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com
Make your reservations now, because word of mouth travels fast that “Closer Than Ever” by Arizona Onstage Productions is the 10-year-old company’s best show ever. Running weekends through Aug. 18, this artful musical will just keep getting more popular.
AOP’s Kevin Johnson has honed his quartet of singers to a keen edge of crisp harmonies that can sound angelic or wrung out of broken hearts. The singers are Amy Erbe, Kit Runge, Liz Cracchiolo and Brian Levario.
Equally important are the contributions of music director Elliot Jones, who also has a small singing role. Dylan DeRobertis provided accompaniment on acoustic bass.
The songs are by David Shire and Richard Maltby, Jr. first written for an off-Broadway opening in 1989. Last summer’s New York revival was also well received, extending the show into October.
Shire (the melodies) and Maltby (the lyrics) are writing from the viewpoint of early middle age, that unmagical time when everyone begins to suspect nobody gets to live happily ever after.
Frank Sinatra may have sung “Love’s more comfortable the second time around,” but the actual experience of growing older, surviving divorce, believing in second chances and all the rest doesn’t really support Frank’s assertions.
These songs probe the lonely hearts of older hunters who still believe in true romance and happy homes, even when cellulite, vengeful attorneys and crowded gym times have replaced the polka dots and moonbeams of star-crossed youth.
Along with the heartbreak comes an equal amount of feistiness as these defiant men and women stand up for what they believe in.
What makes the Arizona Onstage production so special is its respect for all these facets of modern life. Time after time, performing on a simplified stage set, this committed cast turns their tuneful pieces into art song.
There is no dialogue, but the lyrics are often conversational, telling stories that give the show its soul. In this decidedly sophisticated atmosphere, poetic ruminations on life are definitely encouraged.
“Closer Than Ever” continues through Aug. 18 in the Cabaret Space at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave., with performances at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. No performance Friday, Aug. 16.
Tickets are $30 general admission, $25 seniors and military, $20 students. For details and reservations, www.arizonaonstage.org
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