<+> <+> <+> <+> <+> <+> <+> "SONGS ARE STORY IN REVAMPED 'ALMOST HEAVEN' October 13, 2003 Denver Post By John Moore After more than two years of trying to figure out the most effective way of staging the Denver Center Theatre Company's "Almost Heaven: Songs and Stories of John Denver," the obvious still has not fully sunk in with its creative team: "Almost Heaven: The Songs of John Denver." Now, that would be a powerhouse. Thanks to miraculous arrangements by Jeff Waxman, "Almost Heaven" builds to an emotional musical climax that not only honors a decent and under-appreciated man but carries even the most unwilling audience member along to a nostalgic catharsis. That is by any definition a successful theater experience. And it is accomplished entirely through song. But then there's that blasted book. "Almost Heaven" debuted in April 2002 to almost universal praise for its music, and equal derision for its reader's - theater style of retelling Denver's life story, a completely unnecessary bit of dramatic baggage. A retooled version is back to open the DCTC's silver anniversary season with an accomplished new director (Randal Myler) and (with one exception) a new cast. It is hoped it can run through May. Last year's "Almost Heaven" was good, and it's better now in almost every way at what it was already good at. But what was laughable about last year's effort is still worth at least a snicker. The most obvious and welcome improvements are costumes by Kevin Copenhaver that no longer make the cast look like they are on a weekend camping trip, and the terrific use of wall-sized still and video images that effectively complement not only the inspirational quality of Denver's songs but show us where his tunes fell in our cultural history. During the singing of "Country Roads," for example, a powerful montage of Vietnam carnage is interspersed with images of soldiers reading letters from home. The pictures are so effective that they only emphasize the script's awkward biographical transitions. It's fine when the dialogue is made up of the moving recitation of letters from fans around the world, but the show need not be structured as Denver's life story. Make no mistake: Myler's improvements make the new script Pulitzer-worthy in comparison. (I actually kind of miss my favorite cloying exchange from last year: "The war was changing everything." ... "Was it ever!" ... "So what happened next?") Myler was ruthless in editing out such pap, so much so that even though four songs are added ("Fly Away," "Calypso," "This Old Guitar" and "Grandma's Feather Bed"), the running time remains the same. But this was a script that needed to be tossed, not tweaked. The main problems are its presentational, "This Is Your Life" quality, and its deification of Denver. The late singer would be the first to say he was no god (a five-second reference to his divorce and two DUIs, apparently his sole human imperfections, only accentuates the point). Last year, each cast member at times took on Denver's persona. Now, that entire burden falls on poor Jim Newman, who is saddled with awful tripe that turns Denver into some kind of a hillbilly Jethro. All that's missing is the hay sprig in his teeth. The six performers Myler has assembled are all Broadway ringers and such exquisite vocalists that if Denver were alive today, he might be too intimidated to sing with them. But the previous cast members were more at ease and effective in connecting directly with an audience that last year often leaped up in mid-show ovations. Those outbursts have been reduced to rousing, polite cheers. Moving from the 778-seat Stage Theater into the 200-seat Ricketson only amplifies the new cast's naked self-consciousness. Now, all that separates them from the audience's laps are their golden voices and slapped-on smiles that seem as forced as an Up With People rally. They look as if they're at their first day of school, when you want so desperately to be liked. That lack of surety also can be blamed on the book, because when they open up their mouths to sing, they rule the school - especially when the six join forces and bring ensemble strength to songs we are used to hearing Denver sing alone. Not one of the 28 songs fails to resonate. Lisa Asher, the lone returning cast member, still does that thing she does to make "Sunshine on My Shoulders" look so lovely; Michael Lanning amps things up with a gruff "Rocky Mountain High"; Marsh Hanson finds new notes in old ballads ("For Bobbi," "For You,"); Newman kicks holes in the stage with "Thank God I'm a Country Boy"); the remarkable Darlene Bel Grayson revisits "Leavin' on a Jet Plane" as a soulful blues belt and the great Annie Golden brings it all home with "Poems, Prayers and Promises." These six leave it on the table, most mightily in an ingenious Waxman medley about lovers' farewells: "Annie's Song," "Goodbye Again," "How Can I Leave You Again?" "Back Home Again" and "Jet Plane." And the night still ends with a sweet sucker punch. A video from PBS' "Nature" series shows Denver performing the first verse to "Yellowstone" around a family campfire, which he cuts off by saying, "Can't wait to hear where it ends up." When the cast picks up where he left off, you'd have to be Charlie Rich (who notoriously dissed Denver on national TV) to be unmoved. Here's hoping Myler & Co. eventually realize that as far as Denver's life goes, his wonderful songs tell all the story we need to hear. Almost Heaven: Songs and Stories of John Denver *** 1/2 (out of 4 stars) Presented by:Denver Center Theatre Company / Denver, Colorado Directed by:Randal Myler Starring:Lisa Asher, Annie Golden, Darlene Bel Grayson, Marsh Hanson, Michael Lanning and Jim Newman Ricketson Theatre, 14th and Curtis / Denver, Colorado (303) 893-4100 or http://www.denvercenter.org * * *