The wonderful, big show-biz finish of Barbara Phaneuf's "Purr" celebrates a "wonderful change of heart," and heart is what this delightful musical, performed Friday through Sunday at Marion Music Hall, has in abundance.
Veteran singer-songwriter Phaneuf's own kitties inspired the book, music and lyrics of this charming show, which is like catnip to felineophiles. As she noted in her onstage welcome, the show the audience was about to see wouldn't feature pointy-eared characters trailing long tails like that other musical.
No, this show brings to life Champ, Lucy, Ella, Jimmy and Grandpaw Floyd with all their feline foibles and endearing eccentricities. It's a world where the strongest insult one can hurl is to sneer, "Well, at least my mother wasn't feral." Phaneuf's imaginative portrayals evoked laughs of rueful recognition from the cat people (this writer included) in the near-capacity audience.
The cast was led by Eddie Dillon (Champ) and Aoife Clancy (Lucy), both professional musicians and polished entertainers. They were ably abetted by the talented "youngsters" Jess Phaneuf (Ella), the author's niece and a DJ at WMVY, and Josh Cannon (Jimmy), a junior at Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School whose only previous performance was in the school's production of "A Chorus Line." Another professional musician, Brook Batteau (his band is The New Cosmology) has a cameo as the elderly Grandpaw Floyd, who undergoes a remarkable transformation thanks to a tonic from the vet.
Skillful songwriter Phaneuf employs a variety of musical styles and moods in telling her engaging story. As "Purr" opens, Champ, though getting on in years and suffering from kidney failure, is still playing the tough guy as "head of Homeland Security," in "Border Patrol." The fresh-faced, eager Jimmy is raring to learn the ropes.
Jess Phaneuf and Clancy were delightful in "Picky," an anthem to how "selective, choosy, snobbish, finicky" cats can be about their food.
The know-it-all Ella (Jess Phaneuf) played well off Jimmy (the appealing Cannon) in "Cat Nap," which effectively showcases how madcap spurts of activity alternate with langorous lounging.
Poignant moments included Clancy and Dillon's sweetly melancholy duet, "Slowing Down," featuring beautiful harmony, and a hymn to "St. Francis," impressively led by Clancy.
"Champ's Rag" gave Dillon a chance to ratchet up the hilarity with his memorable depiction of expelling a hairball, while the whole cast got into the act on the rap-style "Put a Hurt on the Couch." Jess Phaneuf and Cannon illustrated the effects of catnip in the adorable number, "What's Got Into You?" One song that deserves further development, "Parisian Cafe," sung by Clancy, is almost a fragment, but has great potential.
Behind an onstage baby grand, John Read deftly provided the piano accompaniment.
The handsome proscenium of the 1891 music hall framed simple and colorful sets by Jack Phaneuf. The makeup, props, and attractive costumes — T-shirts emblazoned with glittery emblems for each cat — were handled by Jalane Phaneuf. Ian Lewis controlled the terrific sound, and Bob Campbell did the lighting.
The reprise run concluded Sunday, but be sure to keep scanning local theater listings in case it's offered again. You don't want to miss it.
DIY TOP 12 PICKS
For DO-IT-YOURSELF Songwriters
Barbara Phaneuf Hat Full of Diamonds
"Hat Full of Diamonds" is just the second solo CD released by Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter Barbara Phaneuf, but already she exudes the confidence of a veteran. And with good reason. A gifted composer, guitarist, and singer who shifts easily between '50's-style country pop, sprite folk tunes, acoustic swing, and torchy blues ballads, Phaneuf often evokes the spirits of such past masters as Ray Charles, Brenda Lee, and Patsy Cline. With help from a stellar cast of enablers-including Joe Mulholland (piano), Peggy Heath Ogilvy (cello), Al Gould (violin), and Seth Connelly (producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist)- Phaneuf conjures up an aural world redolent of black and white movies and a bygone, slower-paced era. (It's worth noting that she spent much of the '80's writing and producing musicals.) Most of all, Phaneuf is a consummate craftsperson whose acoustic-guitar-based songs take on richer hues with each listen. Having opened for the likes of Nanci Griffith, Tracy Chapman, and Patty Larkin, Phaneuf appears poised to garner an ever-widening audience."