Theater Reviews: The Life, Babes in Toyland, Holiday Fever!

Also, Love's Labour's Lost, Shanghai Moon, and more . . .

Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Wednesday, Dec 17 2008

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SHANGHAI MOON Set in 1931, satirist Charles Busch’s politically incorrect farce pokes fun at pre–Hays (censorship) Code movie melodramas from the 1930s. Starring luminaries like Barbara Stanwyck or Marlene Dietrich, these films, which frequently harbored racist undercurrents, told tales involving up-from-their-bootstraps babes who traded sex for wealth and power. Directed by Ken Salzman, this staging features a cross-dressed R. Christofer Sands as Lady Sylvia Allington, a steamy siren who accompanies her husband on a diplomatic mission to Shanghai and becomes embroiled in a pot-boiling affair with a diabolical Chinese general (Christopher Chen). Before play’s end, the unfortunate drama queen has become hooked on opium, been branded as the general’s slave, and put on trial for murder. It’s all pure escapism and ably executed, especially by Sands, a seasoned veteran of cross-gender roles. Also skillfully entertaining are Chen’s snide, sneering villain and Minda Grace Ware — unerringly on-target in male drag — as Lady Allington’s no-goodnik first spouse. Lively production values — David Calhoun’s set, Maro Parian’s costumes and SanZman’s sound — contribute to the fun. Unfortunately, at 90-plus minutes without intermission, the material’s predictably campy humor eventually wears thin, and the tiny theater — with the players and the audience in such close proximity ±— constrains performances in a piece intended to be played vastly larger than life. Luna Playhouse, 3706 San Fernando Road, Glendale; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; through December 20. (818) 500-7200. (Deborah Klugman)

SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE serves up a musical theatrical experience akin to mac ’n’ cheese: warm and agreeable but not enriching. On Broadway, this musical revue of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller classics like “Yakety Yak,” “Poison Ivy,” and “Jailhouse Rock” — thickened with other doo-wop hits like “Fools Fall in Love” and “Dance With Me” — ran for 2,036 performances, no small feat for a jukebox musical. Here, director Jeffrey Polk continues in the tradition of assembling nine very different singers and 39 songs about love into a show that avoids even a faint narrative thread. The effect is capable but constrained. Musical director Darryl Archibald has hammered most of the numbers into a template: They start normally, maybe even a little hushed, then burst into loud to-the-rafters blues rock. Paradoxically, the reason the second act holds together better than the first is because the four female singers are finally allowed to distinguish their own personalities. Dionne Figgins is a steely sex kitten; DeLee Lively is a burlesque sprite; Sharon Catherine Blank is soulful and warm; and Jackie Seiden in “Pearl’s a Singer” reveals that she’s a throaty country diva — it’s one of the evening’s best moments before, like all the others, she’s pressed to go as big and obvious as an American Idol contestant. Male singers Niles River, Robert Torti, Maceo Oliver, T.C. Carson and deep bass John Woodward III are also quite fine in this inessential show, which measures success by the number of people clapping along to “Stand by Me.” El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Wed.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 & 8 p.m.; through January 4. (818) 508-0281. (Amy Nicholson)

Caption: :Shanghai Moon Credit: Fritz Salzman

Shanghai Moon

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GO WEST SIDE STORY Now more than a half-century old, conceiver Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents (book), Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) and Leonard Bernstein’s (music) mainstay of American musical theater explores familiar issues of racism, violence and intolerance, which are very much with us today. Set in a 1950s New York neighborhood shared by two rival gangs — the Jets, who are Anglo-Italian, and the Puerto Rican Sharks — the story centers on the ongoing conflict between the cliques, and the romance between Tony (Clint Carter) and Maria (Laura Darrell), whose love ultimately transcends their gang ties. Musical director Greg Haake and his small orchestra perform splendidly throughout the evening. (The score features familiar songs like “Tonight,” “I Feel Pretty” and “America.”) Darrell is a first-rate songbird whose talent brings to mind a young Sarah Brightman, while Carter sometimes strains to hit the notes. Director Kenneth Gray-Scolari comes up with a straightforward and nicely handled revival, superbly marshaling his large, talented ensemble on this small stage, aided by Arthur L. Ross’ smart, energetic choreography. Rosalie Alvarez’s costumes are subtly understated. Hudson Backstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun. 2 & 7 p.m., through December 21. (323) 960-7712. Produced by Musical Theatre of Los Angeles. (Lovell Estell III)