Reviews for A John Denver Holiday Concert |
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John Denver territory, Christmas style
A revue fashioned after the entertainer's TV specials takes audiences
to a much-loved place.
By David C. Nichols
Musing on his career, the late John Denver said, "My purpose in
performing is to communicate the joy I experience in living." That
viewpoint adorns "A John Denver Holiday Concert" at
the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura. This entrancing revue by Randal Myler
and Dan Wheetman could not be more sincerely entertaining, thanks to
dulcet singers Jim Newman and Gail Bliss and a festive band.
Fashioned after Denver's annual Christmas specials, "A John Denver Holiday Concert"
plies its wares with fetching simplicity. Western-clad musicians
enter and casually tune up, and Newman launches the show with Steve
Weisberg's loping "Christmas for Cowboys," backed by panoramic shots
of range riders (many of the photos projected throughout were taken
by Denver himself). Bliss croons Denver's "Aspenglow" with open-
throated expertise, followed by the rousing title song, and a
Colorado Christmas cantata ensues.
It blends sacred and secular music with unassuming patter and
enormous audience regard, sort of a "Rocky Mountain Home Companion,"
minus Keillorisms and commercials. "Silent Night" and "Away in the
Manger" jockey with Jim Connor's "Grandma's Feather Bed" and Bill and
Taffy Danoff's "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk for Christmas)," here
done as a purposeful singalong that stops the show.
After longtime Denver collaborator Wheetman introduces "Matthew" as
his favorite Denver song (mine too), Act 1 closes on a buoyant
rendition of "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." Exactly, and director
Myler aims to celebrate Denver without canonizing him, while musical
director Wheetman knows just how much gloss is required. He and
colleagues Douglas Clegg and David P. Jackson play multiple
instruments with entitled panache and winking humor, and both
soloists are superb.
Newman initially seems a shade more Broadway than homespun. Yet the
purity of his chops and easy charm are utterly apt, and he opens up
by the number, with a stunning "First Noel" and impish "Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer." The rich-voiced Bliss, incapable of a false
note, blends thrillingly with Newman in the duets and tosses off
repertory as varied as "What Child Is This?" and "Sweet Surrender."
The show ends with Denver's heartfelt "I Want to Live," and a more
valid philosophy for our troubled times is impossible to conceive.
Here, as everywhere, "A John Denver Holiday Concert" finds the essential humanity
within concept and material, producing the lingering glow of an
instant seasonal classic.
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By Rita Moran
'John Denver' will fill your evening with holiday cheer
Concert at Rubicon is a mix of amusing, poignant music
"A John Denver Holiday Concert" emits vibes
somewhere between beer and pretzels and hot chocolate with marshmallows.
A premiere of a work by Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman, the musical
melange showcases Denver's love of the mountains and fields of his
adopted state of Colorado on the one hand, then stirs in traditional
and contemporary Christmas songs that Denver liked to mix into his
holiday concerts.
Rubicon Theatre Company has decked out its stage with a rugged wooden
frame on which are tacked handsome green holiday wreaths that signal
the festive, down-home mood of the evening.
Reflecting the late folk-country singer's fascination with nature,
the constantly changing backdrop displays eye-catching photos of
fields and mountains, horses wild and tame, dawn and dusk on the
prairie, some taken by Denver himself in one of the many interests
that connected him with nature and people. The popular singer-
songwriter was pursuing one of those dreams when he died in 1997 at
age 53 in the crash of an experimental airplane he had just purchased.
Left behind was a musical legacy that creates a comfort level that is
basic but far-reaching.
In Denver's biggest hits, like "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and
"Take Me Home Country Roads," there is an irresistible warmth and joy
that fits well into a holiday season where shopping and cooking and
traveling can put people on edge. Listening to Denver's favorites,
sung and played by skilled professionals, can't help but ease worries
for at least a few hours.
The concert, created and directed by Myler with musical direction by
Wheetman, who played with Denver for nearly a decade, doesn't
concentrate solely on songs written or co-authored by Denver. More
than half are directly related to Christmas as a celebration of the
birth of Christ.
From sublime the mood can switch to the ridiculous, such as the
comically plaintive "Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk for Christmas,"
which amused many at Saturday's opening night but caused furrowed
brows among others.
In a serious mode, the lead singers, Jim Newman and Gail Bliss,
evoked reverence, serenity and joy with such classics as "O Holy
Night," "Mary's Boy Child," "What Child Is This" and "Away in a Manger."
Newman was particularly effective intoning "Stille Nacht" (Silent
Night) in polished German. Wheetman, in some of the spare dialogue in
the mostly music show, noted that the composer, Franz Gruber, had
been asked by Father Josef Mohr, the author of the poem that provides
the lyrics, to write a melody that would work well with two voices
and a guitar, the only instrument available to the poor parish. He
did, providing an unadorned melody that has endured as a Christmas
classic.
At the Rubicon, the multi-instrumental trio of Wheetman, Doug Clegg
and David P. Jackson readily provided the guitars, plus at various
moments throughout the evening, keyboards, other stringed
instruments, a flute and an accordion. Besides that, they sing
appealingly, as soloists and background.
Newman's strong voice, edgier than Denver's, propels the show and
Bliss adds heart and country expertise in her solos. Humor provides
the punctuation between the more solemn songs, with "Grandma's
Feather Bed," a whip-quick memory of kids piling into the bed and
finding fun aplenty in family gatherings, one of the best.
The most passionate song, "I Want to Live," is a finale that sums up
the many strands of Denver's care for humanity in one broad stroke,
one that extends the meaning of Christmas into a far-reaching plea
for life and peace throughout the world.
War, poverty, hunger and disease are seen as problems that need to be
addressed universally. First evoking "children of the water" and
"children of the sand," Denver's lyrics give voice to the voiceless,
his impassioned simplicity hitting its mark:
"We are standing all together
face to face and arm in arm
We are standing on the threshold of a dream
No more hunger, no more killing
no more wasting life away
It is simply an idea
And I know its time has come."
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by Carol Kaufman Segal
It's a world premiere celebrating the holidays at the Rubicon Theatre
in Ventura, "A John Denver Holiday Concert" , with Musical
Director Dan Wheetman. Wheetman was a member of John Denver's band
for eight years, and his respect and feelings for him are obvious. In
the beginning, he announces that this is the first of an annual
event, so it is something to look forward to, hopefully, for years to
come. Joining Wheetman are musicians Douglas Clegg and David P. (Jax)
Jackson.
Bringing the concert to life is Jim Newman, a young man with a
fantastic voice and stage presence who can sing everything from
country music to Broadway tunes and heart rendering Christmas music.
Beautiful country singer Gail Bliss shares the stage with Newman.
They are a perfect twosome for this presentation, and their harmonies
are glorious. Between them, and the three musicians, this concert is
a most entertaining show. It is filled with down-home foot-stomping
country music, beautiful Christmas music and many of John Denver's
famous songs such as "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", "Back Home Again",
"Grandma's Feather Bed", and "Matthew" (emotionally sung by Wheetman).
The concert is presented in the style of John Denver's popular
Christmas specials. Wheetman, Clegg and Jackson are most prolific
musicians, each playing numerous instruments. Wheetman also sings,
and even Jackson sings a song while accompanying himself on the bass
fiddle! All the while, magnificent pictures of Colorado, taken by
John Denver himself, are projected on a background screen.
There are many Christmas shows presented at this time of year, but
this one is certainly unique.
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John Denver Comes Home at Rubicon
by James Sims
Pull out the fiddle and rosin up the bow, because we all might just
be able to go home and discover we are a country boy, or girl, at
heart after seeing "A John Denver Holiday Concert",
making its world premiere at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, Calif.
It is not a newfound trend to turn the life or music of a musician
into a theatrical show, as has recently been done with the works of
Bob Dylan ("The Times They Are A-Changin’"), Billy Joel ("Movin’ Out")
and John Lennon ("Lennon"), yet with "A John Denver Holiday Concert", it is the spirit
of Denver that takes center stage, avoiding the pitfalls of
artistically interpreting the vision of his music.
"A John Denver Holiday Concert" does not pretend to be anything but a night of Denver
adoration, put together to resemble his famed television holiday
specials, mixing some of his timeless melodies including "Thank God
I’m a Country Boy," "Back Home Again" and "Matthew," with such
perennial holiday favorites as "Deck the Halls," "First Noel" and
"Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer."
Sentimentality is never lacking in this concert style evening,
created by Tony nominees Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman ("It Ain’t
Nothin’ But the Blues"), with musical direction by Wheetman and
direction by Myler.
Wheetman has a rather kindred connection with Denver, as he was a
member of his band for eight years, which explains the overwhelming
sense of fondness for the material in "A John Denver Holiday Concert", with the
evening playing like a cozy gathering around the fire and hearth,
intertwined with stories of Denver’s country-style living and love
for nature.
Denver had a far-reaching career, working as a songwriter, performer,
actor, environmentalist, humanitarian and even photographer, which is
made abundantly clear through the use of Denver’s personal photos of
mountains, horses in snow and aspens aglow. The beauty of the scenery
of which Denver lived wonderfully compliments the twanging and
picking of the world-class three-person band on stage (Wheetman,
Douglas Clegg and David P. Jackson, Jr.).
No stranger to Denver’s music on stage, Jim Newman ("Minnelli on
Minnelli", "Steel Pier"), who recently portrayed the country singer in
the off-Broadway production of "Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver",
reprises the role, albeit in a more reserved performance that hits
all the right notes. Newman said at the age of 5 he saw his first
Denver concert, and his love of the music is still present. Joining
Newman in vocals is Gail Bliss, who was last seen on Broadway in the
Johnny Cash musical, "Ring of Fire".
"A John Denver Holiday Concert" proves a well-deserved tribute to Denver,
and would surely make a great addition to the Rubicon’s annual line-
up, as audiences are bound to all come back now, you hear.
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Christmas for cowboys: A holiday tribute to John Denver
They have decked the halls of Rubicon Theatre with wreaths of holly
and gussied up the stage to make it look like a barn. If cozy
describes the Rubicon most nights, at the moment it is doubly so.
The occasion: "A John Denver Holiday Concert,"
performed Wednesday-Sunday until Dec. 24, is a chance for folk and
singer-songwriter fans to celebrate the artist who died in 1997.
Denver recorded five Christmas albums (two of them with the Muppets),
so if there is to be any season in which to set a tribute concert,
this is it.
Created by Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman, "A John Denver Holiday Concert" comes on
like a revue similar to one of Denver's televised holiday specials, a
down-home concert in a barn -- just the way John liked to celebrate,
we are told.
Three multi-instrumentalists and two singers (Jim Newman and Gail
Bliss) deliver the Denver hits, a selection of Christmas songs from
Denver's pen (he wrote a lot), and of course the inescapable holiday
songs laced with a touch of bluegrass and dobro.
Dan Wheetman, a veteran of Denver's band, quietly presides over the
hoedown. In a humorous anecdote, he wrote a yuletide song for the
singer that instead wound up being sung by Kermit the Frog. (Wheetman
sings that song during the show.)
Adept on guitar, lap steel, and fiddle, Wheetman gives the show its
heart. Flanking him are upright bassman David P. Jackson, Jr. and
Santa Barbaran Douglas Clegg, who helps out on keys, fiddle, flute,
and more.
A recent evening began with the scene-setting "Christmas for
Cowboys," and Denver's own "Aspenglow," while the large screen behind
the band played a slide show of nature photography. "Back Home
Again," also written by Denver, celebrates hearth and home.
The camaraderie of the band and singers allowed them to slip into a
medley of Christmas numbers, with a surprising rendition of "Silent
Night" in the original German.
Just when things got a bit too holy, the band revved up with the
rollicking "Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk for Christmas," which
teetered on the edge of parody, despite the abundance of female tears
in the lyrics. "Grandma's Feather Bed" continued the party, a tall
tale mixed in with childhood nostalgia.
The first half closed with "Thank God I'm a Country Boy," arranged
for the full band and both singers. After intermission, the band
kicked off with "Take Me Home Country Roads" sung by Bliss. Both
songs, some of the most-loved in Denver's catalog, are short and
sweet, and the band never made anything too little or too large of them.
But then it was back to caroling, and such old faves as Greensleeves
(aka "What Child Is This") and the inescapable "Rudolph the Red-nosed
Reindeer."
David Jackson Jr. offered a sweet and endearing solo version of "Have
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," with bendy, dive-bombing notes on
his upright bass. His interplay with the audience -- one woman was so
charmed she couldn't help laughing -- was honest and touching.
Equally charmed was Wheetman's rendition of "The Christmas Wish." His
simple, plain-sung version contained true holiday spirit.
The show ends with two of Denver's grandest tunes (or the most
bombastic, depending): "Sweet Surrender" and "I Want to Live." It's
understandable that the musical directors would want to end on a
number that sums up Denver as a person and not just on some generic
statement of goodwill, but these two numbers represented a left turn
of sorts. Still, if John Denver is your cup of spicy hot apple cider, then the
Rubicon should be on your yuletide celebration list.
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