Lou Furman: 1975
In recounting of the first ten or so years of Wayside Theatre’s history, this document has relied heavily on the wealth of information found in the fifteen scrapbooks that trace the organization’s early years, material found in the theatre’s files, along with other sources. Unfortunately, there are no scrapbooks for the Furman years, no production photos, and the Theatre’s files for this period are quite sparse --- only three, very thin file-folders containing a few newspaper clippings that announce upcoming productions or reviews of the performances.
How Furman learned of the opening at Wayside for an Artistic Director is not known, but he was one of twelve applicants for the position whose resumes were read by the search committee consisting of Marjorie Lewis, Kenneth Gilpin, Jr., and Harold Herman (“Louis J. Furman ….” TDM. May 6 1975). Furman, a native New Yorker, earned a B.S. in Dramatic Arts at New York University, Washington Square College. His previous theatre experience included working as “producer for three Equity dinner theatres in the New York area - - Mayfair Farms Dinner Theatre, Cooky’s Steak Pub Dinner Theatre, and Fox Hollow Inn Dinner Theatre. During his four years at Yarmouth Playhouse on Cape Cod, he produced twenty-five plays” for that organization. He worked as an actor “performing with over two dozen professional theatre companies and working as a technical consultant for several of the major off-Broadway houses [where he] performed, directed, and was company manager for various children’s theatre companies” (“The company.” Wayside Playbill, 1975).
Furman had big shoes to fill when he arrived at Wayside as he followed the extremely successful years under Slavet’s leadership. “He has his work cut out for him,” announced president of Wayside’s Board of Trustees, Frank Armstrong, III. “There are some roles still to be cast, along with attending … to a million other details to be ready for the June 3 opening. However, we’re confident that we have the right man” (“Louis J. Furman .…” TDM. 6 May 1975).
The reviews of productions for Furman’s first year are not always filled with praise, which could indicate that the transition from Slavet to Furman had not been smooth. A reviewer for The Boyfriend, one of the two musical productions from Furman’s first season, calls the production “a cute little show that is really nothing more than a song-and-dance revue with songs that are not well remembered and many dances that are best forgotten.” The writer concludes more positively when he states, “You won’t sing or tap-dance your way home after the show but it’s guaranteed that you won’t fall asleep during the performance, either.” Ackley credits the “star” of the production as being the “six young singers and dancers (Beverly Hartz, Denie Richard, Pamela Hunt, Tod Miller, Bill Stratton, and Alan Gilbert), who do both with equal ease and earn a standing ovation every night.” He also praises actress Patti Allison as being “good in anything she does” as well as being a very funny lady in this particular show, but pans Michael Mertz, who “has shown little versatility and caused less excitement” (Ackley. “ ‘Boyfriend’ Cute ….” WES. 30 Aug. 1975). Ackley praises guest actor, Barry Ford, known for his “TV serials and many screen roles,” as the funniest character in this production” (“The Company.” Wayside Playbill, 1975).
Another review for The Boyfriend, from an un-named author and found in an un-credited source, singles out several performers and gives credit to the director for the show’s “superlative speed, leaving the audience almost breathless.” The writer is pleased with the improvement that such a “gifted group of people” have made, adding “this has not always been the case this season … where [sometimes] the acting fell below most accepted standards.” After suggesting that perhaps it would be better if one of the actors in the production should try another profession because he seems “like such a nice guy,” she concludes, “It sounds as if this reviewer finds very little wrong with … The Boy Friend. Actually, from where I’m sitting, I don’t see anything the matter with it at all. It all gets better as it goes” (Un-named source, 1975). Another un-named source states that the four musicians were placed upstage behind French doors and were partially hidden from the audience. Apparently this location was a good decision.
Furman’s work receives a more positive comment from Ackley regarding the season’s other musical that required a cast of 25 actors. He writes that Boys from Syracuse is “colorful and energetic … surely the best show of the season.” He waxes positively about director, David William Kitchen, who “provided a fast-paced show which is well-balanced and exciting … using every corner of the tiny Wayside stage to the fullest,” and praises the strong cast, stating, “… everyone of the actors brings to the stage enthusiasm that reaches out and grabs the audience.” Ackley lauds the strong chorus numbers as well as the magnificent set, that “transformed the stage into ancient Greece complete with pillars [and] nude statues” (Ackley. “The Boys from Syracuse.” WES. 7 July 1975).
The set designer for Boys from Syracuse was Atkin Pace who, after moving to New York, attained recognition as a leading designer for many Broadway productions. The reviewer also gives credit to the musicians, William L. Farlow (director), Rudolph Boisseau, and Fred Hoover, for “assuring there was a perfect blend of music and voices throughout the show. With pianos on either side of the stage and drums in the wings, no song was inaudible or lost due to either too loud orchestration or too weak voices” (Ackley. 7 July 1975). Based on photos, the two upright pianos were placed at the front of the house between the first row of seats and the lip of the stage, with the pianists facing the stage.
The season’s next show, however, Neil Simon’s No Time for Sergeants, fares less well in the eyes of the reviewers. Ackley states that “the play fits the Middletown theatre stage like Cinderella’s glass shoe fit her stepmother. There is just no way.” One reason could have been there were insufficient funds available to hire the large number of actors required by the script, which would explain why several actors played more than one role, sometimes as many as three or four! Other problems in the production were technical issues that ‘sank the ship,’ especially in the inaccurate depiction of military clothing. He singles out the offending actors and chastises the costumer for mixing the dress of the various military branches. “Air Force uniforms are blue. At Wayside, the airmen wore khaki; in many cases the pants were Navy khaki and the shirts were Army khaki. Their hats were Air Force all the way.” Ackley concludes, “No Air Force pilot, regardless of how low he is on the totem pole, flies in anything other than a jump suit. Except at Wayside Theatre” (Ackley. “Technical problems ….” WES. 8 July 1975).
The season’s closing show did not win any prizes either. Although directed by Arena Stage’s Norman Gevanthor, Ackley felt that The Sunshine Boys was lacking in quality, writing that the performance of one actor “was often quite funny” but his delivery was “… laced with long, inexplicable pauses, obviously mistakes in lines and a general condescending attitude towards the audience ….” The review concludes by stating, this was …
Certainly not the best show of the season and just as certain, it won’t steal all the
honors as the worst. It is kind of like one of those days on which absolutely nothing happens and so you forget about it so quickly you wonder if it ever really occurred (Ackley. “ ‘Sunshine Boys’ A So-So Show.” WES. 4 Aug. 1975).
In addition to being in charge of the mainstage season for 1975, Furman was also in charge of the WTOT (Wayside Theatre On Tour). The 1975 title, We, the People, was a traveling production that, from all reports, appears to have been a quite successful. It was also an astute choice, as it coincided perfectly with the nation’s bi-centennial observance. (SEE: Appendix, WTOT).