Golf: The Musical
Golf: The Musical
By Michael Roberts
Concept by Eric Krebs
Directed by Michael Edwards
Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park FL</strong>
I’ve never grasped the appeal of talk radio or golf, but there’s a huge audience for both. This greens-themed musical makes fun of the sport of duffers with a mix of funny songs, occasionally sucessful skits, and garish costumes. While punch lines tend toward “balls” and “shaft” the show holds a PG rating with heartfelt singing and Chris Leavy on piano. The first solo comes from Matt Horohoe and his love song to “Big Bertha,” his favorite club. These drivers cost more than I paid for my first car, but a local pro shop was nice enough to lend some gear to the performance.
It seems most of the really funny songs went to Heather Alexander, and while women can swing with the best, “My Husbands Playing Around” and “Golf’s Such a Naughty Game” both aimed a more jaundiced eye on the game. Once the romance fades you still need something to argue about, and like sex, golf is something you have fun with even if you’re not that great. Besides the good songs, Ms. Alexander has most of the costume changes – she looked spiffy in her pink polo shirt, elegant on her traditional sparkling evening gown, and racy in that leopard print nightie. The guys had their moments, “Presidents and Golf” and the vaguely sacrilegious “Golfer Psalm” were funny, but not as good as Roy Alan and his sensitive “The Beautiful Time”. The golf course can be a spiritual place (or so they tell me) and nothing brings that home as the imagery of a dew splattered mini windmill on hole 5.
While the music was up to WPPH standards, some of the skits felt dated and a bit corny. While
Alan and Horohoe make a good Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, I doubt few people under 50 have ever seen the “Road” pictures or remember when Dorothy Lamour was a national sex symbol. There’s a Tiger Woods song in the program, but it predates his recent scandals by a few years and the possibly authorized update felt forced. “Golf Museum” (Kevin Kelly and Alexander) and “Golf Detective” weren’t bad, and the inside the clubhouse references worked with this Bay Hills and Orlando Country Club crowd. You won’t have to show your PGA handicap to enjoy this show, but having a diehard golfer in your life will make it more fun.
For more information on Winter Park Playhouse, please visit http://www.winterparkplayhouse.org
