by E. Kyle Minor
EAST HADDAM - After months of ballyhoo, Goodspeed Musicals' production of Sandy Wilson's "The Boy Friend," directed by none other than Julie Andrews, has arrived. Happily enough, the snappy production is entertaining enough to survive all the commotion.
The hook, of course, is that "The Boy Friend", which runs through Sept. 24 at Goodspeed Opera House, is the show that ushered the 19-year-old Andrews to her Broadway debut (along with another popular performer, Millicent Martin, in the chorus). Two years later, Andrews became a sensation as Eliza Doolittle and subsequently the iconic musical film star in "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music".
Andrews, who played the sweet, innocent Polly who longs for her own boyfriend, showed her directing prowess before her production opened (she actually first directed "The Boy Friend" at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, N.Y., two summers ago) by surrounding herself with talented people.
She leaned on her old friend and ex-husband Tony Walton to design the sherbet-inspired summer constumes (with Rachel Navarro) and whimsical, cartoon-like sets. Andrews then tapped another old pal and Walton's former producing partner, Richard Pilbrow, to design the cheery lights (with Dawn Chang).
She cast the show with bright, young, triple-threat performers and reliable character actors who all look extremely agile and comfortable executing John DeLuca's nifty choreography with sound full and lush under Michael O'Flaherty's crisp musical direction.
With all these talented and accomplished pros on board, Andrews ably culled the correct sense of style from her performers. "The Boy Friend" is pure 1920s pastiche, paying homage to "No, No, Nanette" and other toe-tapping, forthy confections of that ilk. The actors all do this well, playing their prototypical characters with obvious affection and nary a tongue visibly poking through a cheek.
Since she will no doubt weather comparison to Andrews, Jessica Grove has the dubious honor of playing Polly, the self-conscious million-heiress. Though she looks a tad old to play a high schooler, she brings a pleasant voice, ample charm and innocence to the role (her self-pity is clearly set in her wallowing eyes).
She complements Sean Palmer's Tony, the poor messenger boy with secrets of his own. You actually believe them in their signature ballad, "I Could Be Happy With You".
The adult characters are especially well cast, including Nancy Hess' Madame Dubonnet, Polly's headmistress, complete with implacable spit curls and sharp French accent. She loosens up Polly's business-driven father Percival, played with good-natured charm by Paul Carlin.
Bethe B. Austin makes great comic hay out of Hortense, Madame Dubonnet's mischievous Parisian assistant whose sultry singing delivery is occasionally inerrupted with a delightful Betty Boop hiccup. Drew Eshelman's Lord Brockhurst is affably disarming as the long-suffering husband who lives to woo the young ladies.
All the dancers deserve praise, especially Andrea Chamberlain's Maisie and Rick Faugno's Bobby. The compact Faugno's control and precision of turns and Charleston extensions make him a visual magent whenever the stage breaks into dance.
It's likely that tickets to "The Boy Friend" will continue to sell like hotcakes because of its famous director. As is most often the case at Goodspeed, the production lives up to its high expectations.