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Regional Reviews: Florida - Southern Dames at Sea
The Wick has a new projections designer named Joslieu Jean, and the addition of his art adds tremendously to the visual enjoyment of the show. The ocean, the wonderful cast list, photos, etc. are clever and definitely of the era of the 1940s. It also appears that Marilynn Wick has realized that set design is very important to her audience and the team of Thomas Mitchell and Jim Buff have done superb work representing the backstage theatre area and, especially, act two's battleship, replete with musical quartet in sailor uniforms, up above, in between clever confetti-spewing cannons. Dames at Sea is definitely "of an era," and I repeat this because it is very important when directing the piece. Kudos to choreographer Angela-Morando-Taylor for evoking the '40s through seamless, original, and clever movement for all actors involved. The performances prove a tad more problematic. Dames at Sea is as fragile as crystal. The libretto lovingly makes fun of the stars of yesteryear, especially Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, and Joan Blondell. When I saw the show Off-Broadway, in its original form, I was charmed by it. Everyone, played the characters with a velvet glove, including the brazen harridan Mona. It is imperative, when doing satire, to trust the material. Director Michael Ursua has had several performers mug, chew scenery, and force feed their line readings as though they were performing for the visually and hearing impaired. Ergo, any sense of charm is absent, except for Lindsey Bethea, playing Ruby (as in Keeler). Sounding like Georgia Engel and looking like Kim Cattrall, she understands that "less is more" and every time she took stage, my jaw unlocked. A lovely singer and terrific tapper, she has what is missing from the rest of the evening: heart. The gentlemen are all on target, with Blake Spellacy as Lucky, the most likeable and believable of the trio. Spellacy's duet with Alison McCartan's Joan, of "Choo Choo Honeymoon," is a clever highlight and shows Ms. Morando-Taylor's choreography to its cleverest extent. The Wick's target audience is of an age that "gets" Dames at Sea and all of the references would be received more graciously if the performances were toned down and the frenetic energy meted out a bit more caringly. The Wick, musically, is in terrific hands with Caryl Fantel leading Roy Fantel, David Nagy, and Rupert Ziawinski in the playing of the delightful score. Tom Shorrock ably handled the lighting design. Dames is a strong enough piece to stand on its own. I saw the opening night performance, and I am sure that as time moves on, all involved will start relaxing and trust the material for what it is: a gem of a tribute to a time when innocence prevailed. Dames at Sea plays through May 31, 2015. The Wick Theatre, 7901 No. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. For more information, call 561-995-2333 or visit www.thewick.org.
-- Jeffrey Bruce |
