BWW Reviews: Garrison Keillor Brings A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION - THE AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL TOUR to PPAC

There is unquestionably something to be said for reliability and comfort. For things that are familiar to us or make us feel at home. There is something wonderful about that feeling when you are experiencing something that you know so well and have enjoyed so many times before. That feeling that you not only know what to expect, but know it will be very, very good. Provicence Performing Arts Center is always reliable in that you know they are bringing our area the best cultural, artistic and entertainment options around. The most recent example of this is this past weekend's arrival of Garrison Keillor and his A Priarie Home Companion - The America The Beautiful Tour.

A Prairie Home Companion may be the closest thing to entertainmtnet comfort food that any of has ever or will ever know. Keillor has been creating this reliable weekly radio show for forty-one years, although he just recently announced that he will be soon ending his time on the airwaves. This announcement led to the The America The Beautiful Tour being touted as his "farewell tour," which gave fans another good reason to make sure they did not miss it.

Those fans, and they packed every seat in the house on Saturday night, were treated to a paired down version of the radio show, with Keillor leading the way and dominating most of the stage time. He was joined on stage by Richard Dworsky and The Radio Rhubarb Band, which included musicians Richard Dworsky, Bernie Dresel, Richard Kriehn, Chris Siebold and Larry Kohut. Also joining Keillor were songstress Sarah Jarosz and sound-effects master Fred Newman. Together, this group put together and show that delighted long-time fans of the show and new converts alike.

One of those new converts was the friend who accompanied me, who had never listed to A Prairie Home Companion. While it took her a little time to figure out what was actually going on (Keillor really should start things off by introducing himself and his show, just in case there are audience members who don't know), she eventually joined the audience in enjoying Keillor's unique brand of humor, storytelling and music making. Hopefully this tour will give more new audiences the chance to get to know Keillor and A Prairie Home Companion, hopefully getting some of them to start listening to the wonderful radio show that will continue even after Keillor retires.

The radio show, and The American the Beautiful Tour, are filled with music that ranges from gospel to folk and pop. Keillor sang a number of songs by himself on Saturday night but was also joined vocally by Jarosz and members of the band. He has a deep, resonant voice that is often perfect for the slow, softly powerful ballads that he sang. Jarosz also showcased her gorgeous voice and undeniable vocal talent in a number of solo songs, which won her much-deserved cheers and applause from the audience. Jarosz and the band members also demonstrated some impressive instrumental talents, primarily on the many string insturments that were featured, from banjos and mandolins to guitars and an upright bass.

Fantastic music, from country tunes to Irish ballads, is just one of the great things about A Prairie Home Companion. One of the other ones is storytelling, usually by Keillor, who is one of the great master storytellers of our time. The most fun and impressive thing about the stories he told on Saturday night were all the local references. Lots and lots of Rhode Island and Providence-related things were mentioned, from Newport to WaterFire to Narragansett beer. The local references came fast and furious, and most, if not all, got riotous laughs from the audience. Keillor also managed to work current events into his stories from the big game hunting dentist to the nuclear deal with Iran. The uniqueness of these stories made them all the more enjoyable, and making them even more impressive is the fact that he must come up with new ones for every show and every city, tailoring them to the location and the events of the day.

Among all the great moments, the highlight of the show for many, if not most, of those in attendance was the work of Fred Newman. Newman joined Keillor on stage a number of times and brought the house down at each opportunity. He and Keillor engaged in a friendly back-and-forth, a battle of wits and talent, as Keillor told a story accompanied by Newman's sound effects. No matter what Keillor threw at him (bagpipes, helicopters, seagulls, dolphins, fog horns, etc.), Newman never missed a beat. His talent for creating sound effects with only his voice and body is truly amazing. It's made even better by his wonderful sense of humor, charisma and personality.

While the skill and talents of Newman and everyone else involved are obvious and undeniable, the show is not without faults. It would be difficult to argue against the fact that it's just too long. Clocking in at close to three hours, there are some moments that drag on and on unnecessarily, moments that really could use some editing. While there is a certain charm to Keillor's meandering style, in this format, where it's just him for so much of the time, some audience members are likely to just tune him out or become bored. It would have been great to see something more akin to an actual live taping of the radio show, with more guests and more of the show's full cast. This version just starts to be too much of the same thing over and over again after a while.

Still, it's a show that die-hard fans of A Prairie Home Companion no doubt loved every minute of. Even casual fans of the show likely enjoyed it very much, right along with anyone who was a newcomer. It is a very special kind of show, one that will no doubt lose a big part of its success when Keillor retires. Even without him, it will, I'm sure, remain a reliable and reliably wonderful piece of entertainment, one which will continue to bring laughs and smiles to listeners every weekend for years to come.

To find out more about all of the upcoming events at Providence Performing Arts Center, check out their website at www.ppacri.org.

Pictured: Garrison Keillor and Sarah Jarosz. Photo courtesy of Prairie Home Productions.