E-Mail This Article to a Friend Playing the Fielding Tom Jones becomes a musical BY SALLY CRAGIN

In the garden shed of romance, is there a rake more frequently employed than Tom Jones? Henry Fielding’s mid-18th-century libertine was shocking in his day and has managed to appall and attract successive generations. Now North Shore Music Theatre is betting that Tom Jones: The Musical, which has its American premiere at the Beverly arena this Tuesday, will set hearts aflutter and toes a tapping toward the box office. But will today’s audiences care about a bed-hopping rogue born on the wrong side of the blanket who eventually finds true love? "He’s a cad," admits director Gabriel Barre (whose last NSMT credit was the 2003 Memphis). "But what’s wonderful about him, and one reason the audience invests in him as a character, is that it’s easy to see oneself in him."

The new Tom streamlines the 900-plus-page Fielding novel and adds music by George Stiles, composer of the Olivier Award–winning Honk!, and book and lyrics by Paul Leigh. An earlier version of the show was presented in England in 1995, and recently a revised one was workshopped in Toronto, where it caught the attention of NSMT producers. This is the third collaboration for the composer and the librettist, Brits who have been specializing in the neo-classical period and earlier times (Moll Flanders, The Three Musketeers). "You’re just drawn to a story because it’s a good story to tell," says Stiles from his London base. "The difficult thing is trying to write it so he isn’t completely harmless from the outset. Tom learns that you don’t have to do the right thing, but you have to be seen doing the right thing. It’s not particularly palatable, but it’s truthful."

Leigh adds, "The problem with adapting this long, rambling, picaresque novel is that things happen to the character rather than him making things happen. We tried to make him more in control of his destiny."

Although all parties involved admit to having had seen the 1963 movie version, which starred a very charismatic Albert Finney, they insist that Tony Richardson’s Oscar winner (for Best Film and Best Director) casts no shadow, though some themes proved immutable. "When you’re dealing with sexual repartee, one is drawn to the obvious," says Stiles. "It’s a story about fundamental instincts."

Given a cast and orchestra each comprising 13 members, NSMT’s theater-in-the-round will be hopping as Barre plans to keep the ensemble on stage throughout. "This adds to the fun because it’s an intimate environment, and the audience will literally feel part of the action." Another innovation is that the actors — not a sound person — will provide sound effects. Everything from galloping horses to clanking swords. "Characters will be slamming doors that aren’t there, but audiences will be hearing them. It’s one of the ways we attempt to enliven even further the element of farce in the show."

One special effect that’s absolutely genuine is the attractiveness of the leading man, David Burnham, who replaced Donny Osmond in the 1990s touring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. By writing a character who is willing to exploit his good looks, Fielding subverted the common wisdom of his era that beauty equaled goodness.

"He learns his appearances are a blessing and a curse," Barre says of Tom, "and he has to dig into himself to grow. Hopefully, we present the character with all his complexities, because, despite his appearance, he’s not always good." For his part, Burnham couldn’t be more delighted about the challenges of the role. "You can’t imagine how much fun I’m having," he laughs. "I get to make out with five different women — what could be more fun than that?"

Tom Jones: The Musical is at North Shore Music Theatre, 62 Dunham Road in Beverly, June 1 through 20. Tickets are $30 to $63; call (978) 232-7200 or visit www.nsmt.org