Despite its title, the latest co-production from Portland Stage and the Maine State Music Theatre doesn’t go all night. But it does give the four talented performers at its center time to strut their tuneful stuff.
“The All Night Strut!” is an upbeat musical revue that fills its 70 minutes with more than two dozen songs, mainly from the 1930s and ’40s. There’s less cultural history included than in last year’s lively co-production, “The Irish … and How They Got That Way.” Nonetheless, the show tries hard to suggest an indomitable optimism that kept toes tapping and hearts thumping during a period marked by hard times and world war.
In a multi-level set made to resemble a mid-century, midtown nightclub stage, Curt Dale Clark, Missy Dowse, Bryant Martin and Esther Stilwell, accompanied by an onstage piano/bass/drums trio, perform classic material from what many believe was a golden age of American songwriting. Adding touches of period dance stylings and bits of comedy, the cast works hard to fill in the nostalgic details.
At Friday’s opening, the foursome got under way with a take on “Chattanooga Choo Choo” that allowed each performer a chance to establish his or her individual place within the harmony. At the high end was Dowse, with Stilwell just a step below, then came Clark’s tenor just above the bottom set by Martin.
The quartet’s identity would be confirmed as the evening went along through such numbers as “Lullaby of Broadway,” the ever-popular “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) and a laid-back “Dream.”
Stilwell put some growl into her lead on the racy “Minnie the Moocher” as well as some gospel spirit into a rousing “Operator.”
Dowse added girlish attitude to “In the Mood” and a plaintive charm to “I’ll Be Seeing You,” the latter part of a medley that also paid a visit to the heroic “Rosie the Riveter.”
Martin set an intimate tone with his take on “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime,” while Clark did the same on “As Time Goes By,” a song suggesting the sort of shared passages this show is all about.
Between-the-acts costume changes plus the employment of some hats, boas, furs and a few props kept the visuals fresh, as did the mostly subtle but occasionally flashy lighting effects.
Director Buddy Reeder, staff and crew have brought this swinging Fran Charnas show to life for a fun end to the summer season.
Steve Feeney is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.
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