The Cast Photo by Ray Mabry

It's this level of theatricality that saves their most recent production, Dancing in the Street, with a cast that has boundless energy and enthusiasm yet suffers overall from a lack of real vocal chops. It's not that anyone is wildly off-pitch or harmonically out of tune (their harmonies are one of the highlights of the evening), it's simply that too many of the singers lack either adequate vocal strength or pleasing tonality, or both.

Fortunately for audiences who will experience the last three shows in the run, the skills of director/choreographer Eric Jackson (aided by assistant choreographer Valerie Salgado, who is also part of the cast, showing strong dancing skills but a thin voice) are on full display. From start to finish, Jackson has created a show with not only a through-line (preparing for and staging a block party), but a hundred little details that support the songs and dances, making the show a more complete theatrical experience than the vast majority of musical revues.

There are dozens of little touches throughout the show that illustrate the attention to detail and theatrical imagination Transcendence brings to their productions. Simple things, like lighting cues that support the choreography, lights that change to rainbow colors at the appropriate line in "What A Wonderful World," or the smooth placement of a low platform to enhance the tapping skills of Vasthy Mompoint, or imaginative arrangements of the show's many medleys, to name but a few.

TTC management seemed a bit down at the mouth during the announcement at the start of act two that the company would not be getting back to their gorgeous original home (the Winery Ruins at Jack London State Park) anytime soon, due to ongoing environmental impact studies that were supposed to have taken six months but have now dragged on for more than two years. (But on the positive side, they also announced that the town of Sonoma seems to relish the influx of theatregoers–and their dollars–and have committed to helping TTC in seasons to come.

Dancing in the Street may lack in the vocal department, but the show is saved by Eric Jackson's skilled direction and the overall hospitality and commitment to excellence that are a hallmark of Transcendence Theatre Company productions.

Dancing in the Street runs through August 18, 2024, at Field of Dreams, 151 First Street W, Sonoma CA. Performances are Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at 7:30pm Tickets range from $70-$185. $25 discount tickets may still be available. "Gold Level" tickets include VIP parking, two glasses of wine and admission to the pre-show lounge area. For tickets and information, please visit www.TranscendenceTheatre.org.