Hillbarn’s ‘Radio Hour’ needs some fine-tuning

Not many people around today remember a live broadcast of “The Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade” from New York City’s Algonquin Room of the Hotel Astor on Dec. 21, 1942. But a reasonable facsimile of it is now playing at Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City through Dec. 19.

“The 1940s Radio Hour” has some marvelous songs going for it, like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Chattanooga Choo-Choo,” “Ain’t She Sweet” and “That Old Black Magic.”

Even better, there are seven solid musicians on stage, led by music director Rick Reynolds, who also plays the piano. It’s been a long time since there was a live orchestra for a Peninsula musical.

Just like the other “radio play” currently being staged by TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, this one has big neon signs that light up to let audiences know the show is “on the air” and encourage “applause.” The latter is mostly for show, since the 16-member cast generated many rounds of applause on its own.

Set designer Eric Olsen worked with director Michelle Greenberg-Shannon to create a spacious place for the large cast to sing, dance and hang around in the background when not called on to perform. Four microphones are set up toward the front of the stage, which enables the singers to at least pretend they are singing into them, even though they’re wearing body mics.

And in a nod to Christmas, there is a lighted tree in one corner as well as strings of colored lights, garlands and wreaths to brighten up the set.

The gist of the storyline is that an extremely stressed radio producer (Ray D’Ambrosio) barks out orders and yells at all of his singers to arrive on time and hurry up to rehearse their songs. D’Ambrosio does a fine job singing when he joins the ensemble.

Unfortunately, too many of his fellow cast members are mediocre singers at best, and a couple of them even hit a few sour notes—not a good thing as the 19 songs they perform are the heart of the show, requiring strong vocalists.

Some do their part. There’s the tall redhead Ann (Jillian Boder), who sings “Black Magic” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and joins the ensemble on several songs. Mark P. Robinson, who plays the slightly tipsy crooner Johnny Cantone, nails his numbers, “Love is Here to Stay” and “I’ll Never Smile Again.”

As Connie, tiny Kylie Abucay is a real triple threat. She has a strong singing voice, dances her bobby socks off and she can act.

Two other actors stand out: Joe Gloss plays Biff, a young man who has just enlisted in the Army, and he also plays the trumpet in the band. As Ginger, Fionna O’Neill brings a refreshing sassiness to “Blues in the Night” and “Bugle Boy.”
But while Phaedra Tillery Boughton (Geneva) dresses and looks like a blues singer, her renditions of “Daddy,” “Rose of the Rio Grande” and “Lullaby” are pretty lackluster.