I consider myself a fan of musicals (although perhaps not quite an expert), but I had never heard of the
1969 musical Dear World that won Angela Lansbury her second Tony. It has certainly not seen the success of composer/lyricist Jerry Herman's other works, which include
La Cage aux Folles and
Hello, Dolly! That's hard to comprehend after seeing
Ten Thousand Things' new production of Dear World, which reveals it to be a perfectly charming and lovely musical. But then, Ten Thousand Things productions have a tendency to reduce any work of theater, from Shakespeare to a Broadway musical flop, to it's most perfect, accessible, relatable heart. Under the direction of Jungle Theater's new Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen, with one-man orchestra Peter Vitale and a beautifully diverse eight-person cast,
Dear World is a musical that's sweet, funny, hopeful, and just a little bit wacky.
