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PHOTOS COURTESY OF ENCORE! THEATER

INNER CHILDREN. (From left) John Miller Jr. , Sharon Eason, Lynn Gregory and Lori Camarata portray kindergartners in the opening scene of Encore! Theater’s “All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. ”

Encore! Theater presents all you need to know

By Dave R. Davison

First published in 1986, Robert Fulghum’s book of essays titled “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” went on to dominate the top of the New York Times Bestseller List as the 80’s drew to a close. Fulghum, a Seattle-based author, artist, musician, teacher and Unitarian minister, is best known for his short, poignant essays in which slices of everyday life are used to remark upon and to illustrate the depth, mystery and meaningfulness of being alive. The vest-wearing Fulghum, with his folksy wisdom and penetrating insight, was part of the cultural tapestry of the 1980’s.

In 1992 Fulghum worked with director Ernie Zulia and composer David Caldwell to turn the material from “All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” into a musical of the same title. The production has enjoyed runs on stages worldwide since then, including its current run at Gig Harbor’s very own Encore! Theater. The strength and durability of Fulghum’s material is attested by the fact that it remains as enjoyable and as moving now as it did 20 years ago.

The Encore! production starts off rather badly with an assault on the sensibilities. With the cast dressed like “kindergartners” and making a cacophony of noise and exaggerated gestures, one quells at the thought of having to endure a couple of hours of this horrible adults-acting-like-little-kids shambles. Fortunately, however, the kindergarten is swiftly left behind (the stories are arranged loosely from childhood to old age) and soon the show settles into a cozy, enjoyable and fascinating sequence of scenes.

Directed and choreographed by K. Lynette McGilliard, the show flows from essay to essay, each one a little theatrical vignette. The cast members sing, story-tell and act out the material from Fulghum’s literary gem.

Fulghum’s gentle humor and his non-preachy spirituality shine through much of the material. The audience is treated to scenes with titles like “”Beethoven,” “Donnie the Leaf Raker,” “Uh-Oh,” “Pigeons,” “Geek Dancing,” and much more. Some vignettes are mostly humorous while others are poetic. All touch upon little insights that Fulghum has to pass along. This is Fulghum’s own “reflecting of the light” –  light and reflection being two of the themes of the show.

Fulghum’s stories are so intriguing and touching that the production flows merrily along. Eric Eason’s lights have some stellar moments as when Michael Cooper stands in front of his own enormous shadow and pretends to conduct the choral crescendo of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony using a ballpoint pen as his baton.

The cast has also done a fantastic job in coming up with costumes, often wearing clothing of similar color that makes for a pleasing visual composition against the spare, blue set. “Hide and Seek,” for example, has the actors all in orange garments that are striking against the blue. There is also a rich use of fancy, colorful vests in homage to Fulghum’s fashion sense.

Lights, sets and costumes all work in conjunction with Fulghum’s material to provide any number of spellbinding moments that make attendance at live theater a magical experience. The penultimate scene, “Are There Any Questions?,” for example, has the cast members all in black. After a moving tale of a Greek survivor of Nazi brutality who has spent his life seeking to build an organization that fosters international forgiveness and reconciliation, the cast members stand and turn to the audience holding tiny, round mirrors that reflect light out into the audience.

“How can we live in the dark,” asks the final song, “when we can be part of the light?” The show has an effect on its audience. Fulghum’s gentle musings remind one to be more affirmative in one’s own everyday life.

Encore! Theater’s cast (Amanda Lombard, Bart Iaia, John Miller Jr., Lori Camarata, Lynn Gregory, Michael Cooper, Mike Jones, Phyllis Kappus, and Sharon Eason) does an excellent job in breathing life into much of Fulghum’s words. The only shortcoming of the production is the lack of musical skill on the part of most of the cast members. There are one or two moments when this naked lack of vocal lyricism is almost embarrassing to watch.

Fortunately the spoken parts of the show far outweigh the musical components and one is able to easily overlook any flaws as one is swept along by the beauty and sweetness of the rest of the production.

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