John Denver revue pleasant, if hardly theatrical ‘Heaven’

Through Sept. 22. 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 4 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 14 only); 2:30 p.m. Sundays; 7 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 15 only); 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 17 only). $30.50-$41.50. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. 770-641-1260. www.get.org.

Bottom line: There’s a difference between musical theater and a concert of greatest hits.

In what has become something of a specialty act for Georgia Ensemble Theatre, we can now add “Almost Heaven: John Denver’s America” to the Roswell company’s growing list of nostalgic jukebox musicals. (Over the last several seasons, there have been similar revues devoted to everyone from Judy Garland and the Andrews Sisters to Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash.)

As a concert of Denver’s greatest hits, “Almost Heaven” succeeds pleasantly enough, with agreeable renditions of such tunes as “Country Roads,” “Rocky Mountain High,” “Sunshine on My Shoulders,” “Annie’s Song” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” Staged by artistic director Robert J. Farley – with music direction by Scott DePoy and vocal direction by Michael Monroe – the show features an ensemble of five singers/instrumentalists: Dolph Amick, Mary Nye Bennett, Chris Damiano, DePoy and Jeremy Wood.

Most of them have proven themselves to be capable actors, too, at least in other productions. Here, however, they aren't playing characters in the usual sense and no one in the cast is required to do much acting. To note that Wood ("Singin' in the Rain," "Assassins") is a versatile and multi-talented performer basically means he can play the piano, the guitar and the upright bass. Or to note that Bennett ("Avenue Q") seems out of her element only means she's limited to ringing a bell or beating a bongo in isolated numbers.

Originally conceived by Harold Thau, “Almost Heaven” recounts Denver’s story in bits and pieces, reducing the highlights to so much banter or filler between songs. He grew up as an “Air Force brat.” He initially made a name for himself writing folk songs in the turbulent 1960s, before coming into his own as a singer in the ’70s. He gets “high” on nature, among other possible substances. One minute he’s newly married, the next he’s the divorced father of an 18-year-old son.

A lot of the biographical details remain sketchy, needless to say. For historical context, sound designer Jason Polhemus incorporates snippets of famous speeches by John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King or news reports about the Vietnam War and the protests against it. For theatrical ambiance, projection designer Stephanie Polhemus uses photos and videos of rivers and mountain ranges as a scenic backdrop to the rather static “action” on stage.

Other songs covered in the show include “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” “Fly Away” and “I’m Sorry.” Particularly memorable is a lovely version of “For You” performed by Wood (on piano) and DePoy (on fiddle). The most rousing group number is probably “Calypso,” a paean to the explorer Jacques Cousteau.

In one so-called “scene,” a fan writes to Denver asking for an autograph, only to be informed that the most meaningful thing he has to give are his songs and the feelings behind them. To be sure, there’s no shortage of enjoyable music in “Almost Heaven.” But, as little as the show tells us about the man, as little as it captivates our attention in any dramatic or stylistic sense, what’s debatable is whether it really qualifies as a piece of legitimate theater.