The Medford OR Mail Tribune, Saturday, Feb 15th 1997
By AL REISS of the Mail Tribune
GRANTS PASS -- Doc Baker has the prescription for an evening of gentle, nostalgic fun and romance: Take down-home reminiscences of 19th century western life and stir in 20th century love songs.
Kevin Hagen, Doc Baker of TV's "Little House on the Prairie," is presenting his show "The Story The Glory of Love" these nights at Hamilton House restaurant. It's a din ner theater presentation, or can be if you choose to order the optional dinner of chicken 'n dumplin's with trimmin's and a dessert of apple pan dowdy: $10.50 above the $10 admission.
The first half of the show is Hagen in monologue, wearing his black Doc Baker costume: suit, string bow tie and black western hat.
Against a natural wood backdrop, hung with implements and a Squires Livery Stable sign, Hagen tells us about frontier medicine - sometimes more than we want to know.
Not all of the show is humor, as he describes surgeries in the days before anesthetic, the doctors who carried their suture needle and thread stuck in their lapel, and women who bore children in fron- tier homes.
He tells us about the doctor who urged his colleagues, "Gentlemen, please wash your hands after one patient and before the next!" The other doctors laughed at him, Hagan says. He tells about medicine shows and "feel-good" elixirs that contained morphine before their sale was regulated.
When Hagen gets into humor, his monologue style suggests Mark Twain, and so does some of his material. Sometimes it's earthy, but never blue. He relates to the audience and at times steps down from the stage to bring his delivery closer.
After an intermission, he returns in modern clothes to perform songs from 1900 into the '90s. He invites the audience to sing along with "Shine on Harvest Moon" and "For Me and My Gal," two that are often. paired.
He visits the Beatles and Broadway. At times his singing is talk-singing, the kind Rex Harrison did in the original "My Fair Lady." This becomes apparent as he sings a Harrison number from that musical.
And he goes off-Broadway with "Soon It's Gonna Rain," from "The Fantasticks."
Hagen shares the stage with Ross Welcome, who plays guitar and sings from the music of Jim Croce and his own compositions.
Hagen gets important piano accompaniment from Jodi O'Connell, who has performed with the Rogue Opera, Rogue Music Theatre, Southern Oregon Repertory Singers and other groups.
The show is cut in the shape of a heart, for the Valentine season. He ends with "the king of love songs." I won't give away the title, but one never tires of hearing Sam play it.