Ashland's Show Displays Sense of Community Others Could Use
March 22, 2007 (Ray McAllister, Richmond Times Dispatch)
The Ashland Musical Variety Show, let's be honest, is shamelessly manipulative.
It trots out children and families and even the flag for a feel- good night that could have been at home in the 1950s. About the only thing it doesn't have is puppies. And now that they've been mentioned here, puppies may show up in the next production.
But isn't that the way it's supposed to be?
Ashland, which proclaims itself the "center of the universe" with equal parts hubris and self-deprecation, opens its biennial show tonight at Blackwell Auditorium on the Randolph-Macon College campus. The musical, always a sellout, runs through Saturday.
During Tuesday night's dress rehearsal, children and parents and grandparents and great-grandparents ran back and forth between the auditorium and the Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church, which served as a staging area next door. There was chattering, laughing, helping out.
This is a community show that doesn't take itself seriously -- but sure takes the community part seriously. A diverse group of more than 300 residents of the Hanover County town and environs take part. No one is exempted. "Side by Side" features the various town and county board members singing, "We ain't got a barrel of money ..." By the end, the officials are doing Rockettes kicks. Well, sort of.
"Ladies Night" features a postman, a pediatrician, the controller of a law firm and the director of public works among seven men. Yes, all dress as women. OK, so not everything is highbrow. But who does a real community show anymore? It's something out of "The Music Man" or "The Andy Griffith Show." Maybe more towns should.
Too many communities give in to character-destroying changes these days, trading dollars for their sense of self. Coincidentally, Hanover residents met last night to discuss a controversial plan for managing growth. In an age when small villages such as Midlothian find themselves holding off suburban sprawl, or others such as Short Pump have simply given up, Ashland may have a leg up on keeping its identity. The show has always been a rallying point for the town.
Director Sue Forbes Watson helped start it back in 1982 as a fundraiser for the Hanover Arts and Activities Center. "It was like Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney: 'We'll put on a show,'" she explained Tuesday night. Anybody can take part. "Talent is not a prerequisite. But we like it." There's plenty of real talent. It would be unfair to list some powerhouse performances and not all. The children's numbers flat-out steal the show, anyway.
As always, it ends with the audience singing "Ashland, Ashland," written in 1983 by Marion Herget, who died this past April:
Ashland, Ashland, Center of the Universe / Ashland, Virginia, my home town / Just a whistle on the R,F&P. / But you'll never find a better place to be ...
Schmaltzy? Of course. But part of what makes Ashland special is commitment to community. You know what Ashland is. You know the people care. And you know they won't give up without a fight. If other towns want to maintain their own identity, they could do worse than to take a page out of Ashland's script.
The town that sings together -- or fully shares any community project -- may well endure.
SEE THE VIDEO. Watch video highlights from the 2007 Ashland musical variety show. Go to TimesDispatch.com and find this column on the Metro & Virginia page.
SEE IT LIVE. Only a few show tickets remain. Call (804) 798-7123 for information.
Contact staff writer Ray McAllister at rmcallister@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6333. His column runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Responses may be printed from time to time.