‘You Never Know’

Off-Broadstreet Theatre revives this Cole Porter oldie, which began as a European chamber musical.

By: Stuart Duncan
   You Never Know is the 157th show at Hopewell’s Off-Broadstreet Theatre, the latest in a series that will reach 19 years sometime next month. The first thing you will notice as you munch on one of the four delicious desserts offered (the mocha chiffon pie may be unbeatable) is that director Bob Thick has designed one of his most elegant sets — a blending of art-deco styling, all in black-and-white, highlighted by a black-and-white checkerboard floor. It will whisk you right back to the 1930s and the sophisticated wit of Noel Coward on the far side of the Atlantic, Cole Porter on this shore.
   In this case it is Porter and You Never Know, which has a checkerboard history of its own. It was designed originally as a small, one-set chamber musical (with a different title) to be produced in Europe. The Shubert Brothers decided to take the show to Broadway and, of course, added a large chorus, multiple sets and additional music (by Porter and other composers). Porter had a serious horseback-riding accident and his participation was limited. In fact, he had 30 painful operations and was bedridden for two years but kept on writing tunes.
   The show opened at the Winter Garden in September 1938, no longer an intimate chamber musical but one of the larger, glamorous shows so typical of the ’30s. It was a failure, running only 78 performances. The next try was in 1973, with the show restructured, the cast size cut and alternative songs inserted.
   It opened — and quickly closed — off-Broadway at the Eastside Playhouse.
   Now move ahead to 1991, when a production more closely resembling the original European version opened at Pasadena Playhouse in California. There were a few script changes, but most of the changes involved Porter’s tunes: "I Happen to Be in Love" (from Broadway Melody of 1940) was dropped in. So was "Ridin’ High" (from Red, White and Blue). "Let’s Not Talk About Love," one of Porter’s better patter songs (from Let’s Face It) seemed to work well, and "At Long Last Love" was introduced in the first act and later reprised. Incidentally, this song was written while Porter waited for help after his accident.
   In other words, the big, brassy Broadway failure was turned back into the small work it was originally meant to be. It is based on an Austrian play, written by Sigfried Geyer, which played in London in 1928 under the title By Candlelight. It starred two British actors destined for greatness — Gertrude Lawrence and Leslie Howard.
   Off-Broadstreet Theatre has a long history of adapting small musicals, warming them up to a cozy glow and then letting its knowledgeable audience discover the gentle humor. It has done it again.
   You Never Know has one of those familiar 1930s "mixed identities" plotlines. A Baron and his valet exchange jackets and social positions, while a few floors away at the same hotel (the Ritz in Paris) a madame and her maid do the same. Now add a pompous, cuckolded husband and the Baron’s girlfriend in the process of being excused and you have a gently rippling comedy that adroitly avoids farce and allows Cole Porter to leap in repeatedly with his sophisticated observations. My favorite: "Is it an earthquake/ Or simply a shock?/ Is it a good turtle soup/ Or merely the mock?"
   This sort of delicate material deserves special attention, which is undoubtedly why the slam-bam-big Broadway musical approach failed. Director Bob Thick has some experienced talent in place. Brendan Scullin and Marieke Georgiadis are sensational as the manservant and the maid, masquerading as high society. Each has a delicious sense of impishness that plays beautifully. Each has a strong, confident singing style and both move with real grace. Mr. Scullin proves it almost immediately by selling a song while talking on the telephone, handling a 25-foot-long cord. Then Ms. Georgiadis arrives wearing a powder-blue dress to kill for (and the only flash of color in the show). When she sings "I’m Going in For Love," we can all sit back and let the charm flow over us. By Act III (here performed in two, about 140 minutes) when the two sing "Ridin’ High," the audience is ready to cheer at anything.
   The pair get plenty of help: from Bruce Clough as the amused Baron, cautiously accepting his valet’s successes; from Pamela Linkin as the Baron’s most recent castaway; and from Susan Fowler, as the haus frau, ready to switch rather than fight. It may all be fluff, but it’s wonderful fluff, my goodness how elegant. They just don’t write them like this any more.
You Never Know continues at Off-Broadstreet Theatre, 5 S. Greenwood Ave., Hopewell, through June 28. Performances Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2:30 p.m.; doors open one hour earlier for desserts and beverages. Tickets cost $22.50-$24. For information, call (609) 466-2766.<</i>br>