By Bryna Jacobs
Arizona Daily Wildcat
February 12, 1998

'State Fair' returns to sweeter time of life

Photo courtesy of UApresents Arizona Daily Wildcat John Davidson hams it up as Abel Frake in "State Fair."

Musical notes bounce off the page, sweet sounds of harmony are carried throughout campus - a classic is coming.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "State Fair" will command the stage on Valentine's Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday at Centennial Hall.

Based on Philip Strong's 1932 novel, "State Fair" is arriving just in time for the most romantic day of the year.

The setting is a fresh, intimate countryside, in which two young, vibrant characters fall in love against the backdrop of a majestic fair.

In 1996, in his return to Broadway after 30 years, '70s TV star John Davidson stepped into the role of quirky Grandpa Abel Frake, the role he now plays with the show's touring company.

For Davidson, this production hits a personal note as well. Starring alongside him is his 11 year-old daughter Ashleigh, playing the role of Violet, the local police chief's daughter. Davidson's wife, Rhonda, chaperones the company on its tour.

The stage production is an adaptation from the original 20th Century Fox musical film of 1945. The songs are a collection of Rodgers and Hammerstein melodies extracted from hit productions of the past, including the Academy Award winning song "It Might As Well Be Spring."

"The charming score is all melodic, highly professional. 'State Fair' is an opportunity to rediscover Rodgers and Hammerstein's music," reflects Dan Yurgaitis, of the UA Theater Arts faculty.

"It's an old-fashioned musical with a '90s feel, a salute to the Rodgers and Hammerstein shows people have come to love. Songs people love, do not forget, memorable music," says Yurgaitis.

In our chaotic, often violently centered world, it's welcoming to journey into the past and remember the simple things in life.

"This play focuses on reinforcing things that are good in America," Yurgaitis adds. "Plays like this have a place in today's society, a feel-good emotion about our country. A way to revisit collective shared values of the past."

Aside from the formulaic love story plot line - boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, wedding bells ring and they live happily ever after - as Davidson himself once put it, "this is a story about how the state fair touches and changes the life of each member of this family. This is a piece of Americana. We've seen helicopters fly and chandeliers fall, and that's wonderful in its way. This is a story about people."

This sweet, simple musical asks only this from its audience: sit back, get comfortable, let the harmony, innocence and sincerity of dreams fill your hearts.

"State Fair" is showing at Centennial Hall tomorrow and Saturday night at 8 and on Saturday afternoon at 2.

Preceding the evening performances will be a musical theater discussion headed by Dan Yurgaitis in the Douglass Building, Room 101 at 7:15 p.m. The Tucson Goodtime Singers will give a free old-time music concert before the matinee performance at 1:15 p.m. on the Centennial Hall West Patio.

All tickets are half-price for anyone under 18, as well as students with ID.For more information call the box office at 621-3341.