'Show Boat' a masterpiece

I have been blessed with the magic of "Show Boat." It is the only musical reaching masterpiece status. How else would a show still attract audiences after more than 70 years, by filling seats anytime, anywhere? It is almost unbelievable that the musical that started it all is still around for comparison with its contemporary successors. \n This production of "Show Boat" does justice to the high expectations its predecessors have created. \nThis musical is notorious for its vocally demanding songs. All the performers rose to the occasion -- they were avid singers. Jodi Darling (Magnolia), Rob Richardson (Ravenal) and Phillip Lamar Boykin (Joe) were especially impressive. Their voices had opera caliber. Boykin's performance of "Ol' Man River" gave me chills. He hit notes with a depth almost impossible to comprehend.\nUnlike other musicals, the music in "Show Boat" was varied and beautiful. Some of the songs were in ragtime, the predecessor of jazz and the popular genre of the 1920s. At the beginning of the play, the music resembled a more classical genre, like that of an opera. This demonstrated the setting, which was before the turn of the century.\nThe play takes place in a timeline over about 40 years, so the director had to come up with tools other than just the music to show time had passed. Clayton Phillips did a wonderful job of this. He utilized montage musical pieces performed by the chorus to show the passage of time in a creative way.\nThe costumes were important to the show. The black characters wore dull, rag-like clothing, while the white characters wore vivid, flashy outfits. This represented social standing, and therefore touched on one of the major themes of the play, segregation.\nThe set in the production is just as impressive as that of any Broadway musical. They had an immense boat on stage and plenty of set changes to create a more life-like atmosphere.\nThis show depicted tender issues such as segregation and female inferiority, so typical of this era. I can almost imagine people in those times breaking out singing in the middle of conversations. These points come across without making the show draining and solely educational. The show turned out to be entertaining and funny, yet still educational.\nIt is a given that acting in musicals is usually exaggerated. This was no exception, but if anything, the performers' characterizations were as real as possible in a musical. I was especially sold on the palpable chemistry between the various couples in the show, especially Magnolia and Gaylord, Joe and Queenie and Andy and Parthy. \nThe ending of the play was one of my favorite parts, and very powerful. All the cast members got together to sing "Ol' Man River" in front of a beautiful sunrise. It symbolized both the end of the day and the show.\n"Show Boat" was an absolute revival, not just of a musical but -- more importantly -- of a forgotten era.