Partial Review of 'It Shoulda Been You'

Goshen Players, Inc. is presenting its 70th consecutive spring production with a stellar version of a wild musical farce entitled ‘It Shoulda Been You’ in Goshen’s lovingly maintained Old Town Hall on the rotary. The long tradition of bringing to the NW corner of CT the best in community theatre entertainment began in 1949 with ‘Trial by Jury’ and continued every spring through 2005, when the all-volunteer organization expanded the season to three productions each year.

The director of ‘It Shoulda Been You’ is the esteemed Lea Dmytryck, who notes in her program note her fond memories of the 50th Goshen Players show, none other than ‘My Fair Lady.’ Ms. Dmytryck is a 51 year veteran of this group and has been a witness to the upgrades that have been made to the building that the players have owned since 2004. The director has helped continue the mission of the group to bring quality theatre to this corner of the the state with her leadership of this memorable musical, with this theatre company that starts in the snow of the area’s harsh winter “and ends with crocuses coming up in the spring.”

“Without you, this legacy would not have continues as long as it has. Your support, encouragement, your laughter and sometimes your tears, bring us back year after year to ‘do it again!’ May the legacy continue!” - Lea Dmytryck, Director of ‘It Shoulda Been You’

It Shoulda Been You, is a musical that tells a tale many times repeated: The bride is Jewish. The groom is Catholic. Her mother is a Jewish force of nature. His mother seldom says no to a cocktail. The bride's ex-boyfriend crashes the party and the perfect wedding, overseen by an experienced hotel wedding planner, starts to unravel at breakneck speed. It's on shoulders of the devoted sister of the bride to turn straighten everything out and the ending will take everyone (including the audience) completely by surprise.

I loved the concept of this musical and although I had been tipped off to some of the twists by someone who had seen it on Broadway with Tyne Daly as the Jewish mother, I still did not expect how everything ended up. I thoroughly enjoyed the charming music that easily moved the story along. I loved the heightened interaction of the members of the two religious affiliations and thoroughly enjoyed following the trail of the clues to what might happen next as the bride and groom get closer to the wedding ceremony and the reception following. I couldn’t wait to see what the costume designer Phoebe Katzin would put each character into next and what the hair and makeup design by Carlissa Strom would add to it.

Because one of the leads had been diagnosed with strep throat three days before the invited final dress rehearsal that I attended, I will postpone commenting upon the performances of this wonderful cast (pictured above) until I attend an upcoming public performance. I will note that music director Jim Luurtsema and the nine talented musicians in the basement of the building sounded amazing on this wonderful score and the choreography of Peggy Terhune added so much to the song and dance numbers.

Please look for my follow-up review sometime after Saturday, but feel free to share this one in the meantime.

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Just the facts, if you can snag one of the few remaining tickets: IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU has a clever book and lyrics written by Brian Hargrove with music and the concept credited to Barbara Anselmi. Performances will be held at the Old Town Hall at 2 North St., Goshen, CT (on the rotary)

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues and she posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theater Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417