ANY BONDS TODAY?
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Whatever one’s opinions of either war, in those grim times a USO bond rally provided the perfect excuse for young people to get together, dance, and flirt, all in the name of a worthy cause. The musical revue Any Bonds Today? re-creates one such event, from the Andrews Sisters-style invitation to “buy a share of freedom” to the rousing George M. Cohan affirmation of loyalty to the Stars and Stripes (a large example of which hangs prominently on the Arts Center set–with 48 stars, of course).
This show, first produced in 1989, has been streamlined to a swift, tight 90-some minutes (its earlier incarnation sometimes seemed to drag itself out as long as the war). At the center of the action, if only by virtue of its size and volume, is the band. Though the brass section is the most showy, gleaming instruments arcing skyward like searchlights picking out aircraft, piano man Rick Frendt gets his moment to shine on the snappy “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” as do bass player Matt Erion on “Take the “A’ Train” and drummer Dean Walker on the jungle-rhythmed “Sing Sing Sing.” Music director Tom Stachniak, who doubles on saxophone, also takes the stage as a vocalist on the sentimental “At Last (My Love Has Come Along).”
