Thoroughly Enjoyable Terrific Songs, Lovable Characters More Than Make Up For Thin Plot Of ‘Paint Your Wagon’

“Paint Your Wagon” Thursday, Aug. 20, Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre

The Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre wraps up its season in robust fashion with this crisply directed, well-sung and thoroughly enjoyable version of “Paint Your Wagon.”

We’re barely into the second song before we know that the show has clicked comfortably into gear. The first song, the tuneful “Wand’rin’ Star,” is performed with style and panache by Todd Hermanson as Ben. Not only can he sing, but in the hilarious funeral scene that opens the show, Hermanson has already established his character as a lovable and eccentric old coot.

Forget Lee Marvin; Hermanson has a great character touch and a great voice.

But can this easy and enjoyable groove be sustained in a big production number? The next number, “I’m On My Way,” sung by a whole passel of miners, allayed any doubts. The characters are distinct, the singing confident and every move serves a purpose. This is the mark of good direction, in this case by Timothy Childs, a veteran Broadway producer.

As it turned out, many more nice moments were on the way. Among the highlights were a poignant version of “I Talk to the Trees,” sung by the strong-voiced Alex Bernhardt as Julio, and a more-than-satisfying version of the show’s best song, “They Call the Wind Maria,” by the always outstanding Frank Jewett.

Natalie Ryder is winning and funny as Jennifer Rumson. She “plays young” well, a necessary skill when playing a character who goes from awkward adolescence to womanhood.

Childs also has done a great job bringing out the comedy in this script, especially in the scenes involving a Mormon husband (Gary Pierce, in good form) with two wives (Bobbi Kotula and Julie Powell). Kotula and Powell play off each other deliciously, with slow burns, frozen smiles and over-polite comments.

“I’m sorry I called you what you are,” says one wife to another, by way of apology.

The set was particularly ingenious. Instead of massive set pieces, designer Jack Green relies on a projected backdrop that changes with the scene, and sometimes within the scene. Most of the projections are of real mining-town photos, or of drawings of old prospectors or other characters. This comments on and enhances the action without being obtrusive.

The only thing that didn’t quite work was the choreography, which sometimes seemed artificial and forced. I would have been just as happy to lose some of the dance numbers, which contributed little to the story except to make it seem just a bit too long.

I can understand why “Paint Your Wagon” is not frequently revived. The book is not filled with incident - the plot can basically be boiled down to girl falls in love with guy while boom town goes bust (the movie version is vastly different). It could use a little more punch.

Yet it is filled with terrific Lerner and Loewe songs, performed well here by a 16-piece orchestra conducted by Scarlett Hepworth. It is also filled with lovable and distinct characters, and loaded with Old West atmosphere. When it’s done this well, that’s more than enough.