Sunday, May 07, 2000

KIESEWETTER: Drew Carey sings praises of 'Geppetto'

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By John Kiesewetter
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        Drew Carey has made us laugh for years, but tonight it might be for the wrong reason.

        I don't mean the long-haired wig he wears as Disney's Geppetto on the Wonderful World of Disney (7-9 p.m., Channels 9, 2).

        Wait till he sings. You'll know what I mean. His singing ability falls somewhere between Mariah Carey and Harry Caray.

        Not that kids will mind. They'll love the big-budget, family-friendly Disney movie, the story of Pinocchio from the father's point of view. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld) co-stars as the Blue Fairy, with Brent Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation) as Stromboli the traveling puppet-master and pop singer Raymond Usher as the Pleasure Island ringleader.

Seth Adkins, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Drew Carey. (ABC-TV photo) | ZOOM |

        Viewers of all ages will enjoy the one-liners the Cleveland comic has snuck into the script.

        “It's not every boy who can trace his family tree to a tree,” he tells Pinocchio (Seth Adkins from Titanic and The Pretender).

        They'll be surprised by Mr. Carey's heartfelt performance, pining for his runaway wooden son in his first major movie role.

        Until he sings. Adults will wince at his thin voice on the beautiful ballads composed by Oscar-winner Stephen Schwarz (Pocahontas, Prince of Egypt).

        The rotund comic's voice lacks heft — particularly when he's trying to project above several dozen trained children's voices in the opening “Toys” number.

        Mr. Carey admits he has little professional singing experience beyond “Cleveland Rocks,” his Drew Carey Show anthem, and annual musical productions on his sitcom. (They sing and dance to Nat King Cole's “L-O-V-E” at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Channels 9, 2.)

        He didn't ask for the part, although he has the clout to demand it. More than 34¹/₂ million people watch his three weekly prime-time shows on ABC, the sitcom and two half-hours of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (8-9 p.m. Thursdays, Channels 9, 2).

ON THE AIR

What: Geppetto When: 7-9 p.m. today Where: Channels 9, 2

        Mr. Carey says he was as surprised as anybody to be offered the role by Disney producers who had seen him sing with rocker Joe Walsh on his sitcom.

        “That's how they got the idea that I could sing,” he says. “As a joke, I sang. I pretended that I was the lead singer in the band on the show, and they kicked me out of the band because of my singing.

        “I couldn't believe they even offered it to me,” says Mr. Carey, who won $500,000 for Ohio libraries on the celebrity version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire last week.

        At first, he said no. He changed his mind after meeting Mr. Schwarz and listening to him play the 14 songs on a piano.

        “It was such really good music, and something so out of left field for me. Plus it's a real high-quality project,” he says. @subHed:Big-budget project

        @text: Disney has spared no expense for Geppetto. According to Mr. Carey, it cost more than Cinderella, Disney's 1998 sweeps musical with Brandy and Whitney Houston.

        If only Disney had invested in more singing lessons for the star, or a voice double. He's overmatched by all the other singers in the show, including a cameo from Whose Line co-star Wayne Brady as a magician.

        “Nobody would ever expect the words "Drew Carey' and "Disney musical' to go together,” he says. Not after tonight.

        Mr. Carey says he has has enjoyed watching himself in Geppetto more than in his sitcom reruns, which air twice weeknights (6 and 7 p.m., Channel 64).

        “It's weird. Sometimes I hate seeing myself on (the sitcom), and sometimes I don't. I try to disassociate myself, and think, "It's not really me.' That's the only way I can watch it.

        “When I saw the "Toys' number, I thought, "Man, that's really a good-looking movie.' I thought everything was just great. No one's going to be belive it.”

        The lavish Geppetto Italian village certainly is different from Cleveland's Warsaw Tavern, where the Drew Carey gang hangs.

        “When you're in a sitcom, you get really stuck. Every time I get offered a script, it's for this guy who's a regular schlub who drinks beer and likes to bowl. I get offered the same old crap all the time,” he says.

        “So this is a chance to do something new. I don't think I could have picked a better first thing to do to break out of a TV show.”

        Carrying a tune, though, is a lot tougher than carrying a beer. John Kiesewetter is Enquirer TV/radio critic. His column appears Monday and Wednesday. Write: 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202; fax: 768-8330.        

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