Showtunes imports director from Hawaii

Showtunes imports director from Hawaii

by Miryam Gordon - SGN A&E Writer Sail Away By Noel Coward Showtunes Theatre Company May 3 and 4 Jim Hutchison, a longtime ballet dancer and performer in movies and television shows, has been imported from Hawaii to help direct Showtunes' next show, Sail Away. Aside from dancing in Broadway musicals like Pajama Game - and dancing with Shirley McLaine as his chorus partner - he's danced in such movies as Finian's Rainbow, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Hello Dolly - after which Barbara Streisand particularly asked for him to dance with. Hutchison moved out to Hawaii to form Honolulu Ballet Company and continues to live in Honolulu, primarily teaching tap dancing. "Tap dancing is the easiest on the body, at this point," Hutchison explains, wryly. So, why is he here to direct Sail Away? "The timing to come here was good for me in my schedule and I've done [in Honolulu] some Noel Coward shows and plays and they're fun to do. They're clever and witty with a bit of a cynicism." It's not a well-known musical, but he believes that Noel Coward actually wrote the musical for Elaine Stritch and it remade Elaine Stritch's career on Broadway. "We have a terrific actress, Bobbi Kotula, and I enjoy watching her. She understands the humor and the part. She doesn't do it as Elaine Stritch did it, but she's quite funny and understands the part." Showtunes' rehearsal schedule is one week before performances, so he has to work fast. "This is rather quick. In the concert version, the actors can carry scripts. Most actors try to memorize as much as they can, but they're comfortable because they can look down if they get lost. So, you can't do all the things you can do in a big production, but again, how many would do a big production when they can do a concert version? The benefit to the audience is that they can see shows like Sail Away that won't come in a huge production, but it's a delightful show. There are a lot of shows that won't be done [any more] in a full revival, but they can be done in concert. They do some beautiful ones, like Bells Are Ringing that I saw at UCLA, and you get a fresh look at the show when it's not a big production. You seem to hear the script better and the score better." Showtunes can recruit some of the best performers around the area. Bobbi Kotula is a favorite around town in musicals at 5th Avenue (Company) and Seattle Children's Theater (Bunnicula) and others. Also starring are Darla Cardwell, who has been asked to try out for Young Frankenstein to replace Sutton Foster on Broadway, as Sutton comes to Seattle for Shrek The Musical, and Timothy Glynn, last seen in 5th Avenue's Into the Woods and Matt Owen, who was just at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Mame, playing the grown-up Patrick, Mame's nephew. "They can do this [concert] because they only have to commit to one week's rehearsal," Hutchison adds. After all his experience on stage and screen, Hutchison talks about the differences between the two mediums. "Stage productions give you continuity and immediate reaction. In a movie, you may not even do it in sequence. They shoot according to the budget schedule. I think if you're gonna do stage, then you do stage for yourself. [When] you do a movie, you do it for money. Movies are fun to do. Where else can you do essentially a nine-to-five job and get well paid and enjoy what you're doing? But stage work is done for the continuity and immediacy. It's like food. You eat it. That's what picks you up. To feed your actor soul, the stage gives you the greater satisfaction." For more information, go to showtunestheatre.org or call 425-893-9900.