Our State Fair ...

As a student of musical theater, and a current teacher of theater in a high school, I find myself constantly being reminded that the "old musical" is becoming more and more dated. While I am a fan of the modern musical (started by the great Stephen Sondheim), I cannot help but melt when I am taken away by a classic musical. I recently showed my theater class the film version of Carousel, the musical that I consider Rodger and Hammerstein's greatest achievement. While they understood the fact that the musical is "dated," they were surprisingly receptive to the plot and characters. It was refreshing to see that these musicals were not dead to a group of teenagers.

I had an even greater moment last night when I had the chance to see State Fair at the Walnut Street Theater, located in Philadelphia, and the oldest non-profit theater in the country. Having seen the movie version close to ten years ago, I had no real interest in seeing the production. I do love Rodger and Hammerstein's musicals, but I had a feeling this one was going to be too light and fluffy for my tastes.

I was pleasantly surprised to experience one of the best nights I've had in the theater in a long while. While the productions was stunning with a great set, terrific direction, a spectacular cast, and exciting choreography, it was the work itself that I enjoyed the most. While not one of R&H's most well-known works, the music of State Fair was just as catchy and interesting than that of King and I, Oklahoma, and South Pacific. In fact, it was stronger than the music of Sound Of Music, still argued by some to be the best of their works. It was filled with drama, comedy (still funny in 2008), love, and some of the greatest damn songs heard by this lover of musical theater in a long time.

Of course, "It Might As Well Be Spring" is the most known song. But the show is filled with other terrific songs such as "That's For Me" and the show-stopper "All I Owe Ioway," a number just as good as "June is Bustin' Out All Over," if not stronger.

The musical takes a very interesting turn when one of the females characters reveals to her lover that she is married, and unlike a typical musical from 1945, the lovers don't make up. The exit following her confession is her last one, leaving the audience struggling with emotion. We want the lovers we've seen the whole show together, but we can't help but dislike her for being unfaithful to her husband, and leaving the young lover in tears over her dishonesty. It's inspiring to know that Rodgers and Hammerstein were writing such controversial work, even during the conservative years of the 1940s.

Nothing puts me in a better mood than knowing that the love I have for old musicals is shared by others. The audience obviously loved every minute of it as much as I did. The Walnut has proved that the "old-school musical" is still alive and well, influencing modern writers to work hard at making their works shine as much as the greats of the Golden Age!