Critic’s Pick: Jerry Herman would be mighty proud of these ‘Girls’

What a summer for musicals in Central Florida. Fresh off the delightful “Catch Me If You Can” at Osceola Arts and the exhilarating “Big Fish” from Theatre at St. Luke’s comes “Jerry’s Girls,” a super-duper tribute to Broadway composer Jerry Herman.

The show, a revue of Herman’s songs, is the season opener for Winter Park Playhouse — but you’ll find it at the Mandell Theater in the Lowndes Shakepeare Center, where the Playhouse is staging its plays while its usual home is renovated.

And if you’re a fan of musical theater, or just a fan of talent, catchy tunes and well, smiling in general, you will want to find “Jerry’s Girls.” It’s one of those revues that has a solid foundation in the source material — and then the production lifts the enterprise above and beyond what’s on the page.

Director Roy Alan, of course, is a dab hand at this kind of show, and as usual he knows just when to play a scene with a nod and a wink, and when to let his powerhouse cast dig deep into the emotion of the material.

Patrece Bloomfield gets to do a lot of digging, making a strong impression with the depths she finds in her opening “It Only Takes a Moment,” then bringing even more emotion to “I Won’t Send Roses” and “If He Walked Into My Life.” Her rich vocals, suffused with the joy and cares of life, send these songs soaring and serve Bloomfield well in a dynamic “I Am What I Am.”

If Bloomfield is serious, Laura Hodos is her comic counterpoint — first prattling on as Dolly Levi in “Just Leave Everything to Me.” (A song written for the “Hello, Dolly!” movie, not the stage musical — but if you’ve read this far you likely know that.) Even better numbers come later: Berating a second-rate male movie star in “Nelson,” and channeling the unsophistication (and surprise) of “Mame” character Agnes Gooch.

Ta-da! This trio’s getting gussied up to be ‘Jerry’s Girls’

Then there’s Desiree Montes, this production’s electrifying live wire: Determined in “Wherever He Ain’t,” winking in “So Long,Dearie,” seductive in “La Cage aux Folles,” chillingly heartbreaking in “I Don’t Want to Know.” Just try to look away from her: Her shifting eyes, her stylized moves. It’s an all-in performance.

And the scathing “Bosom Buddies” duet between Montes and Bloomfield may be my favorite musical moment of the year.

The four women of the ensemble also display their own personalities in group and breakout numbers. Alan’s choreography is top-notch, capturing a Vaudeville style when needed, but also giving us the energy of tap, the fun of fan dance, a sultry air for the “La Cage” number — and a heaping helping of good ol’ Broadway razzmatazz.

It’s a change to not see Christopher Leavy’s four-piece band, tucked behind the scenery in this home-away-from-home, but the music is as strong as ever. And J. Adam Smith’s sound design makes all of Herman’s lyrics — even in the fast patter songs — easy to understand.

Daisy McCarthy Tucker’s costumes deserve their own round of applause. Every time a performer re-enters the stage, she’s wearing something else. From glitzy red Dolly dresses to old-timey black-and-white ensembles, from sophisticated evening gowns to silly clown-like garb, to a sleekly ambiguous outfit that lets Bloomfield sing a male-female duet to herself. Nam Mai’s wigs complement the ensembles with flair.

In a nice touch, scenic designer Sonia Smith-Tembe has designed a simple but elegant set that calls to mind the Playhouse’s usual stage a couple of miles away in Winter Park. But “Jerry’s Girls” shows that while the company is “on the road” at the Shakespeare Center, it’s not missing an artistic beat.

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