‘Leader of the Pack’ cranks up ’60s jukebox
You know the songs, from "Do Wah Diddy" to "Da Doo Ron Ron," from "Be My Baby" to "Baby, I Love You," from "Hanky Panky" to "Chapel of Love."
To say nothing of "Leader of the Pack," complete with obligatory "vroom, vroom" motorcycle sound effects.
But the musical "Leader of the Pack" – now wrapping up the Super Summer Theatre season at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park – does more than revive two dozen vintage Top 40 favorites.
It also introduces audiences to the songwriter behind that jukebox full of hits: Ellie Greenwich.
Subtitled "The Ellie Greenwich Musical," the show not only celebrates Greenwich’s music but chronicles a life that didn’t always match the upbeat vibe many of her songs conveyed.
When it opened in Broadway in 1985, "Leader of the Pack" led the pack, delivering a "jukebox musical" – a show based on an existing catalog of songs – before the term even existed. (Since then, the genre has exploded, with such hits as "Jersey Boys," "Rock of Ages" and "Mamma Mia!" leading the way.)
And it’s Greenwich’s music that powers the show, according to Audrei -Kairen , who’s making her Las Vegas directorial debut with the Super Summer Theatre production.
"I did the show in ’91 in Canada," she says, "and I’ve been loving it ever since."
Having a live band accompany cast members performing "Leader of the Pack’s" musical numbers proved a key to the production, she notes.
After all, "when you’re performing with live music, there’s more of a heart," Audrei-Kairen points out.
Not to mention more of a beat.
And the beat goes on as the Brooklyn-born Greenwich (played by Anita Bean, who portrayed Tess in Super Summer’s "Crazy for You" in June), dreaming of musical success, goes from suburban teen to hit songwriter – in partnership with Jeff Barry (Rishi Shukla ), who becomes not only her songwriting partner but her husband.
"It’s about the music," the director observes, but "it’s also about a female who was strong" and, like fellow ’60s songwriter Carole King, "stuck to her guns and did what she was supposed to."
Providing musical perspective throughout Greenwich’s journey: Darlene Love (Janine Ayn Romano), whose powerhouse voice ignited such Greenwich hits as "Today I Met the Boy I’m Gonna Marry" and the holiday perennial "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." Love played herself in the Tony-nominated Broadway version of "Leader of the Pack," stopping the show with a song Greenwich, Barry and producer Phil Spector originally wrote for her: "River Deep, Mountain High." (Spector instead recorded the song with Ike and Tina Turner.)
With its hits-through-the-years format, "Leader of the Pack" triggers precious memories for audience members, Audrei-Kairen says, recalling a local oldies show where she watched AARP-eligible audience members listening to past favorites and looking "how they looked in their teens."
And at the Super Summer production, Audrei-Kairen says, those "parents can sing along with their kids."
The director – who also performs in the Plaza’s "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and LVH’s "Nunsense" – describes the Spring Mountain Ranch outdoor stage as "one of the best theaters I’ve ever been around and been to."
In part, she says, that’s due to the state park’s setting.
"As you’re watching the stars onstage, you’re watching the stars in the sky," Audrei-Kairen points out, noting the additional desert atmosphere provided by the "heehaw, heehaw" of resident burros that sometimes punctuates romantic scenes.
"I love the audience with Super Summer Theatre," she says. "People just have a good time."
Contact reporter Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.