When it comes to eras of American music, the ’70s get a bad rap.
Musicologists have long waxed rhapsodic over the rise of rock ‘n’ roll in the ’50s, the transformative music of the ’60s, the meteoric rise of pop in the ’80s and the expansion of grunge music in the ’90s. But now the songwriters of the ’70s are finally getting their due in Lamb’s Players Theatre’s highly entertaining world premiere revue “The ’70s! The Golden Age of the Album.”
Now playing at the Coronado Theatre through mid-September, “The ’70s!” is the best of the four eras revues that Lamb’s associate artistic director Kerry Meads and associate artist Vanda Eggington have co-created over the past 30 years.
Granted, I was born at the tail end of the Baby Boomer era, and the albums of the ’70s — by Cat Stevens, Earth Wind & Fire, ELO, Stevie Wonder and Fleetwood Mac, to name a few — were in heavy rotation on my record player back in the day. But learning the stories behind this music and hearing the songs performed exceptionally well by the 16-member Lamb’s ensemble and band was really satisfying.
The revue, which runs 2-1/2 hours with intermission, focuses on the LPs (long-playing vinyl albums) that were king in the ’70s. A large projection screen onstage shows the covers of many of the albums featured in the show. Although the dozens of individual songs performed in the show are not listed in the program, if you’re over the age of 45, you should recognize most, if not all, of them, because of their enduring popularity.
The musical pays tribute to the decade’s Grammy-winning Best Albums and the era’s most unique concept albums (like Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and Queen’s “A Night at the Opera”). There are multi-song tributes to Stevie Wonder (who won the Best Album Grammys in 1974, ’75 and ’77), Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles and Aretha Franklin, as well as dance-filled boogie through the disco era.
Some songs are performed in full, others in brief excerpts. Music director Eggington has reimagined many of the vocal solos into four-part harmonies, with fresh orchestrations for different instruments like the violin and upright bass.
Most of the onstage cast are quadruple threats who can sing, act, dance and play instruments. Standouts are Steve Gouveia and Garry Hall who are both exceptional rock guitarists and singers. Hall’s voice is a perfect fit for Chicago’s “Make Me Smile” and Gouveia is excellent in Neil Young’s “Old Man.” The two have a fun bit doing acoustic guitar riffs on famous electric guitar solos, and with talented bassist Avery Nelson they put on a hard-rocking tribute to Led Zeppelin.
Actor-singer-pianists Ben Van Diepen, Caleb Schanzenbach and Scott Glenn Roberts sweetly re-create the many piano and synthesizer hits of the era by Elton John, Billy Joel, ELO and more. Joy Yandell-Hall is a worthy interpreter of Carole King. Sydney Joyner is outstanding as Roberta Flack, and she and Natasha Reese mightily honor the queen of R&B, Aretha Franklin.
Bryan Barbarin is a charismatic John Belushi in a Blues Brothers tribute. Nathan Nonhoff celebrates Earth, Wind & Fire with “September” and ensemble members and musicians Angela Chatelain Avila and Dave Rumley contribute to many songs. The ensemble are supported by a fine onstage band that includes a brass trio.
Jemima Dutra designed costumes, Nathan Peirson designed lighting, Patrick Duffy designed sound and Mike Buckley designed the two-story set.
Perhaps I’m a bit biased in loving the music of the ’70s more than that of other decades, but this revue really rocks in a nicely staged and enjoyable production that should appeal to anyone who loves classic songs performed well.
‘The ’70s! The Golden Age of the Album’
When: 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Sept. 14
Where: Lamb’s Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado
Tickets: $48-$118
Phone: 619-437-6000
Online: lambsplayers.org
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