Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-07-02

Inc ART man lnIuSeu IL
touches Of style. These went o
in concealing the truth that
was exposed last night at Car
ter Barron amphitheater,
namely that "Flower Drum
Song" is q dull musical. Worse
still, 1t is even duller when
played by q small briefly re-
hearsed CT mpany on mani
moth stage
Under such circumstances. 1t
loses even the sentimental APP
peal that it is one Of the few
orientally favored reminders
that everything went into the
American melting pot. This one
comes out O tranquilizer, q
rare ana rueful Judgment to
pass on q Howard Hoyt am
phitheater musical.
Even with Jack 500 and Yin
Sun, residuals Of the original
Broadway production, Mr.. Hoyt
this time has spread q thin
veneer of listlessness over one
Of his favorite stages.
At the same time. inciden-
tally, he may finally have come
I'D with an explanation Tor
"FIower Drum Songs having
missed Washington on the road
tour that followed its Surpris-
ingly long New York run.
For those who may well
be vague on the subject OF
Flower Drum Song" it is q
six-year-old fable about life
among San Francisco's Chi
nese. These add up to Q con-
veutional blend Of the old ira
ditionalist Chinese and q gen.
Grafton that literally dives into
the American way Of life.
The core Of the conflict has
to do with whether o hand
some American-born Chinese
lad is going to choose his own
wife, q giddy stripteasist. or
marry q shy immigrant whose
talents run to ancient folk
songs and docility. 1t comes
out so that no one lives un-
happily ever afterwards, except
churls who think it would have
been much more spirited had
1t gone the other way.
Mr.. Hoyt's production leaves
o distinct impression Of having
been rushed, possibly on the
assumption that the burden Of
it could be carried by the few
cast members already familiar
with the musical. This is sound
enough in the case Of Mr.. Soo,.
q veteran Of both the original
and the movie versions. AS for
the others, they behave as II
they wish the strangers really
hadn't come.
Whatever Of life and charm,
then, Is visible to the eye and
ear derives from the concert
aspects Of Flower Drum
Song" Its music is far from
the peak of Rodgers Hammer
stein inspiration but 1t does
have the appeal Of Familiarity
and the presence in the COM
pany Of some competent voices.
Take, for example, Miss Sun
who understudied Pat Suzuki
In the shows Broadway days.
She's an attractive one, at her
best in the strip scene and
dance, and she has an accept
ably brassy voice. The latter
goes Just fine with that proc
lamatory ballad. II Enjoy
Being A Girl" which is one Of
the most highly recommend
able attitudes for females her
age. She is also at her lively
best in Grant Avenue" which
deals with the appalling Amer
icanization Of latter generation
Chinese.
The rich Chinese boy with
the nom Chinese name Of Har-
~ Theyard in real life is an
other competent vocalist. He's
Economically at ease in "You
Are Beautiful" Like A God"
Neither his, nor Miss Suns are
the most popular songs, how
ever. That distinction goes to
Lisa DiJulio's Love, Look
Away" q haunting ballad
which is abruptly curtailed in
the first act, but reprised in the
second.
..,
sMr. 500. still Sammy Fong,
the strictly New World Chinese
who runs a night club and out
foxes his smart-set patrons. is
the. major fun-maker in ''Flow-
er Drum Song" Among his
major assets In this achieve
ment is the shows funniest
courtship song, one called
Don't Marry Me-"