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Regional Reviews: Florida - West Coast Once in a Lifetime Asolo Repertory Theater opens the repertory part of its season with a production of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's 1930 comedy Once in a Lifetime. I arrived at the theater with a doozy of a trivia question rattling around in my brain: What do the opening production of the season (My Fair Lady) and this show have in common? I posed the question to a group of people huddled around Press Representative Steph Gray and it was duly answered by one of the techies connected to the show (answer below).  Andrew Carter, Hillary Clemens, Jason Bradley, David Breitbarth, Ashley Scallon and Douglas Jones Director Mark Rucker, associate artistic director of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, has given the production a strong sense of '30s style, without which this play would not work well. Absolutely everything conveys the high jinx merriment and art deco tone of the period. Every member of the cast wears the period costumes well, and moves in a totally different manner than people do today. Hairstyles are pin-point accurate, the men with short shaved bottoms beneath a fuller top, as if someone had put a bowl on their heads. In the first act, period film clips are used to augment the '30s feel, and for once this hackneyed device is a positive. The period costumes by Alex Jaeger are a fabulous asset. Wonderful suits, heavy accent on pin stripes, look very smart on the men. Smart, short dresses and long evening wear, with bonnet type hats and other period millinery, dazzlingly light up the stage. The art deco sets by Erik Flatmo, executed by the wonderful Asolo Scenic Shop crew, are so eye catching that there was a scattering of applause at curtain rise. In the third act when a plot point requires photos of character George Lewis to be prominently displayed and lighted, the photos capture widely varying emotions of actor Jason Bradley, beautifully lit by Burke Brown. Absolutely every technical aspect of this production works to give life to the high '30s style. Every member of the cast is beyond terrific. Jason Bradley as George Lewis, the not so bright member of a former vaudeville trio, captures the absolute essence of this very loveable character, who sort of stands there, uncomprehendingly as his every gaffe turns into a huge resume of successes. It becomes perfectly understandable why Hillary Clemens as May Daniels would turn around on her train ride out of Hollywood to prop him up. The third act train scene between May and washed up playwright Lawrence Vail, winningly played by Jake Staley, is a highlight of the play. Andrew Carter as Jerry Hyland strikes a nice balance between the lovable lunk that May pines after and the sycophant driven for glory. Ashley Scallon is daffy as Susan Walker, the not over talented small town girl that George falls hard for, and Kate Hampton as Helen Hobart, a Louella Parsons type columnist, is winningly haughty. Every regular member of the Asolo repertory company has one or more roles in this production, but I would be remiss in not singling out Carolyn Michel, always one of my favorites, in a cameo as Mrs. Walker and David Breitbarth in a showier role as studio head Herman Glogauer. For a hilarious night at the theater rush to see Kaufman and Hart's Once in a Lifetime at Asolo Repertory Theater. *Trivia Question Answer: Moss Hart was co author of Once in a Lifetime and the director of the original broadway production of My Fair Lady. Asolo Repertory Theater presents Once in a Lifetime through February 29, 2012, at the Mertz Theater in the FSU Center. 5555 N. Tamiami Trail. Sarasota, Florida. Box Office (941) 351-8000. For more information visit www.asolorep.org. Jason Bradley as George Lewis Directed by Mark Rucker
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