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Regional Reviews: San Francisco A Fun Production of I Love Lucy Live on Stage Also see Richard's review of Breakfast with Mugabe
Thea Brooks as Lucy, Euriamis Losada as Ricky, Keven Remington as Fred, and Lori Hammel as Ethel bring life to the four ageless characters. In "The Benefit," Lucy agrees to coax Ricky into performing at the Fine Arts Club benefit chaired by her neighbor, Ethel Mertz. However, her real goal is to share the spotlight with her husband. The trouble is, Lucy can't sing a note on key. During the wonderful dance number that looks like a 1920s vaudeville routine, Lucy grabs every punchline from Ricky. In the second episode, "Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined," Ricky brings a powerful producer home to dinner. Of course, Lucy and the Mertzes, who are retired vaudevillians, get wind of it through Daily Variety, so Lucy is ready to audition for his upcoming Broadway musical. She decides she is going to do a jitterbug for this producer, so she hires a jitterbug teacher played fabulously by Richard Strimer. Lucy has her eyes examined by a doctor and she can't read the letters properly. The doctor puts drops in her eyes and, of course, everything is blurry. She suddenly remembers that she has to audition for the producer and runs out of the doctor's office. The jitterbug sequence is hilarious, needless to say, as she makes all the wrong moves. Mark Christopher Tracy nicely plays the amiable host. He agreeably warms up the house and breaks in occasionally to explain certain technical issues that were current in early '50s television. Sarah Elizabeth Combs is exceptional in various comic roles while Denise Moses as the tourist and Speedy in the Alka-Seltzer commercial is a real hoot. Thea Brooks has much of Lucille Ball's body language down pat, and she dances up a storm. She is first rate in the role of Lucy. Euriamis Losada is remarkable and even looks like Desi Arnaz. He belts out songs backed by a seven-piece onstage band. He also has the perfect Cuban accent. The excellent Kevin Remington and Lori Hammel, who play Fred and Ethel Mertz, beautifully deliver the best and most human scenes. The harmonizing Crystaltone Singers transform easily from one song and sketch to the next. I Love Lucy Live on Stage is certainly an entertaining family show and one that is most appreciated by fans of the television show, which is still being shown in reruns to this day. I Love Lucy, Live on Stage plays through November 23rd, 2014, at the Curran Theatre, 445 Geary Street, San Francisco. For tickets go to www.shnsf.com.
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