‘The Andrews Brothers’ at Pierson Playhouse is ‘Terrific’

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Performances of “The Andrews Brothers” are officially underway—bringing laughter, entertainment and a robust song list to Pierson Playhouse.

Billed as a “madcap musical salute to the swinging ’40s,” Theatre Palisades’ rendition of the show, originally written and created by Roger Bean, is directed by Jennifer Novak Chun. The show is choreographed by Dana Benedict, and produced by Martha Hunter and Sherman Wayne.

The story follows the three Andrews brothers, who are stagehands with the USO and get a chance of a lifetime to grace the stage when the famous Andrew Sisters cannot make it to the U.S. military base to perform due to illness. They are joined by Peggy Jones, who was originally supposed to catch her big break opening for the sisters.

“This show is about love and courage,” Chun wrote in the director’s note section of the playbill. “The three Andrews brothers are 4-F, sidelined to USO backstage duty with very little to do except bicker amongst themselves out of frustration until their chance to help the war effort appears in the guise of Peggy, an incredibly talented and resourceful leader for the group.”

The brothers then “have to dig deep” to find courage, face fears and forget differences—as they must “soldier on.”

The two-act show takes place during one day on a small island in the South Pacific in March 1945, backstage and on stage at the USO show. Over the course of the roughly two-hour musical, the setlist is jam-packed with nearly 30 songs.

The Andrews brothers are played by Destin Bass (Patrick), Jeff DeWitt (Lawrence) and K. B. Dulude (Max), while multi-talented Tasha Taylor has been cast as Peggy Jones.

One might think that a four-person cast would seem small, but that is not the case in “The Andrews Brothers”—the stage at Pierson Playhouse was filled to the brim with talent and presence when it came to the cast of the show.

The relationship between the brothers highlights the fact that while siblings may be different from one another, they come together—even while teasing each other—when it matters most, which, in this case, is on stage for the USO. Each brother overcomes his own unique difficulty, ranging from “three left feet” to an inability to memorize lyrics, with a little encouragement from Peggy.

In a show that includes so many songs, it is important to cast voices that fit the bill, and in this case, Theatre Palisades nailed the assignment. This is particularly true in the case of Taylor, who, during her solo songs or accompanied by one or three of the brothers, is able to show off a wide vocal range.

In the case of “The Andrews Brothers,” the actors take on a wide variety of costumes, dancing, singing and even baton twirling. All of this adds up to an entertaining show that kept audiences on their toes, fully enraptured from start to finish.

In the catchphrase of Peggy Jones herself: The show is “terrific.”

Performances of “The Andrews Brothers” will take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., as well as Sundays at 2 p.m., through October 8. All shows take place at Pierson Playhouse, located at 941 Temescal Canyon Road. Tickets are $27 for adults, $25 for seniors and students.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit theatrepalisades.org.