SALEM COMMUNITY THEATRE ‘Life Could Be a Dream’ cast has great chemistry, delivery

January 26, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

By ERIC MCCREA

SALEM

Salem Community Theatre delighted audiences with its most recent production, “Life Could Be a Dream.” The title appropriately comes from that classic doo-wop hit “Sh-Boom,” which is also the show’s opening song. The doo wop doesn’t stop there, as the entire evening is filled with popular songs from the definitive ’50s and ’60s genre, frameworked by an era-appropriate plot.

We start with Denny and Eugene, played by Anthony Ventura and Donny Wolford. Denny is the ad-hoc leader of the story, somewhat of a loser, struggling to find his way into show business while living in his mother’s basement. Eugene, a classic nerd character, is helping Denny put together a singing act for a radio contest.

They are soon joined by Wally (Christopher Hager), a preacher’s son, and the moral compass of the group. Wally uses his church connections to find his friends a sponsor for the contest’s $50 entrance fee, and in the process, Skip Henderson (Jaime Stabile) is brought in, making the group a proper quartet. Skip is a classic bad boy with a soft side, and not a bad set of pipes. Things get complicated when the daughter of Skip’s boss and the group’s sponsor show up. Lois, played by Nicole Slaven, is the “Earth Angel,” a blonde, pony-tailed love interest, who is immediately drawn to “The Wanderer” Skip, despite her past with the “Rama Lama Ding Dong” Eugene.

Denny’s mother, played by Cheryl Kekel, doesn’t get very much stage time, but she gets plenty of spotlight in the form of an intercom, much like the character Charlie on the ’70s TV show “Charlie’s Angels,” used to announce visitors, sandwich deliveries and to encourage her son to “Get A Job.”

The fine cast, assembled by co-directors Mark Frost and Cheryl Kekel, has great chemistry together on stage. Proficient at both singing and acting, in that Wally-and-the-Beav-esque ’60s style, Ventura is an impressive lead. Hager is spot on as the hesitant but optimistic best friend. Stabile has the perfect look for a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, and delivers a performance that is both vocally impressive and warm enough to avoid the dreaded realm of cliche. Slaven balances her character’s sweetness with some edge, and gives us a refreshing female lead that won’t give you a cavity.

Although the cast lacked a strong falsetto such as Johnny Carter, an integral part to any doo-wop group, the audience didn’t mind one bit when Wolford filled in. He portrays the standard nerd in a way that makes an often-caricatured character come across as realistic, fun and genuinely hilarious — an impressive feat indeed.

The set, designed by Frost, incorporated a “Laverne-and-Shirley”-style window, allowing the audience to see visitors coming, and added a bit of visual whimsy. Choreographer Carrie Mazzucco kept the dance steps simple, incorporating many of the favorite standards of ’60s vocal groups, and the well-rehearsed cast was able to perform them with precision.

Life Could Be a Dream runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. until next Sunday. For reservations, call 330-332-9688.