Sisters of Swing at SART
I’ve only been covering Souther Appalachian Repertory Theatre for just shy of three years, but I can confidently say that Sisters of Swing is the company’s best-cast production over that span.
Though 2020’s Church Basement Ladies gave the impression of Kathleen Watson and Kaleigh Jackson being a real-life mother and daughter team, this jukebox musical dramatization of The Andrews Sisters’ storied career not only suggests that its three leads are related, but that no other actors could play them as convincingly.
Early in the show by writers Beth Gilleland and Bob Beverage, there’s a sense that the audience is witnessing the antics of actual siblings, each of whom share enough of a family resemblance to warrant genealogical research. Lara Hollaway ably wields the first-born confidence of Maxene Andrews, while Fancy Marie channels the middle-child woes and overcompensating ambitions of LaVerne Andrews, and Mandy Vollrath is the epitome of a youngest kid, playing risk-taking go-getter Patty Andrews. Each performer understands the assignment impeccably well, providing an exceptionally strong foundation from which director/choreographer Jennifer Poarch can work.
Framed as last-surviving daughter Patty’s recollections of the trio’s rise to fame, Sisters of Swing chronologically works through the trio’s hits. pausing for just enough seriocomic exchanges to propel the narrative forward. In addition to the Andrews’ phenomenal chemistry, Matt Edwardsen excels as “Everyone Else” — literally playing every male character besides pianist Vic Shoen (Matt Blanks), impressively transitioning between multiple roles and their accents/mannerisms. It’s a truly awesome feat of mental juggling that includes believable takes on Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, as well as multiple lesser-known music industry figures who crossed paths with the Andrews.
In effectively moving these talented pieces across her board, Poarch and set/costume designer J. Ethan Henry make excellent use of the fairly modest Owen Theatre stage, employing the stage right corner as the clan’s family living room, and its stage left counterpart as an urban exterior that ably conveys street scenes in New York City, Paris, and other stops that the sisters visit. Meanwhile, simple projected text on the rear curtain illuminates attendees on time and place details as the story moves through WWII and the group’s role in USO events.
Oh, you want to hear about the music?
It’s a blast.
The backing five-piece band under Misty Theisen’s direction cooks during each song, but gets chances to fully shine when the two stagehands pull back the silken curtain to reveal the group on the bandstand in all their glory. The ensemble’s support of “Three Little Fishes,” “Accentuate the Positive,” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” feels wholly natural and gives Hollaway, Marie, and Vollrath plenty of room to showcase their vocal gifts on a solo and harmonic level.
Meanwhile, the lesser-known “Carmen Boogie” pairs exceedingly well with Patty’s baseball-bat-wielding marital struggles, and the unexpected appearances of “All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)” and the “Woody Woodpecker Theme” add extra layers to an already compelling show.
Paired with the emotionally rich drama of a family navigating sudden fame and all its complications, the music glows in the hands of these dedicated performers. It’s a joy to witness them work throughout the show and add to SART’s already impressive history.
Sisters of Swing runs through May 29 at Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre at Owen Theatre in Mars Hill. For details and tickets, visit SARTPlays.com.
(Photos: Cheyenne Dancy/Courtesy of SART)
