Jamie Gussman as “Yellow Girl,” Heather Mae Steffen as “Blue Girl,” Christina Bolognini as “Orange Girl,” Melissa Momboisse as “Red Girl” and Amanda Le Nguyen as “Green Girl.” All photos by Steve Stubbs.

The ‘60s were a memorable decade of change.  But years ending in zeros are rarely true inflection points.  Many political historians point to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963 as the inception of that decade.  President Lyndon Johnson was able to enact his and Kennedy’s agendas for civil rights and poverty into law; political parties were realigned with Southern Democrats shifting to Republican in rejection of civil rights advances; and the U.S. commitment to the Vietnam War swelled irreparably.  Social historians note the impact that the Beatles had starting several weeks later.  The ensuing British Invasion brought with it new music, lingo, hair styles, mores, and more.  And the youth culture that began with Elvis Presley and Rock and Roll in the mid ‘50s exploded to become a dominant social and economic power.

“Shout! The Mod Musical” is a musical revue of the ‘60s shown through the experiences of five young adult women living in London, as conceived and curated by three American men (of course)!  The songbook draws from tunes of the era, predominantly those popularized by English songbirds, especially Dusty Springfield and Petula Clark (“Wishin’ and Hopin’” and “Downtown” for starters.)   The South Bay Musical Theatre cast brings strong voices, deft comedic skills, and great enthusiasm, resulting in a fine entertaining evening.  Don’t expect the significance or sophistication of Sondheim or Hammerstein, but for those old enough to remember, it’s a frothy retreat into nostalgia.  Younger people will get a slice of life snapshot of what it was like back in the day.

The show lacks a story arc.  Whatever narrative glue is largely provided by the women writing letters to an advice columnist at “Shout” magazine, with spoken replies coming from the unseen columnist.  The characters lack names but are identified by a particular color, which is dominant in the various outfits that each wears and relates to their behaviors.  Orange, performed by Christina Bolognini, is domestic; Red, played by Melissa Momboisse, is a mess of youthful contradiction; Blue, portrayed by Heather Mae Steffen, is poised and beautiful – and she knows it; Green, rendered by Amanda Le Nguyen, is slutty; and Yellow, characterized by Jamie Gussman, is loud – and therefore, probably American!

Heather Mae Steffen as “Blue Girl,” Christina Bolognini as “Orange Girl,” Amanda Le Nguyen as “Green Girl,” Jamie Gussman as “Yellow Girl” and Melissa Momboisse as “Red Girl.”

Essentially, the show is an amalgam of skits full of the expected tropes, with music that often ties to each mini-drama.  Not all work, but most produce the desired laughter.  In one, a Paul McCartney groupie, Gussman, repeatedly stalks her prey, and even combs his trash, coming away with – you guessed it – his broken comb.  In another favorite, characters are silhouetted against a back screen with Le Nguyen appearing as James Bond in “Coldfinger,” a takeoff on – well, you get it.  One recurring pastiche is several scenes that borrow directly from “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In,” with music, action, and lights coming to a stop except for one spotlighted character who delivers a funny bit.

Several pantomimes, also spotlighted against an otherwise dark stage, work nicely.  My favorite is Steffen’s reacting with increasing dejection to a disembodied man’s deep voice telling her how her skin is being ravaged by age.  But in the end, she blossoms with hope and glee when the speaker offers the solution of purchasing his skin cream product.  Of course, much of the advice given is tongue-in-cheek.  An example is the reply to Momboisse’s sad but funny letter in which she declares herself ugly.  The response is that there are things that are worse than being ugly – like being French.

The performers are quite convincing with their English accents, and overall have strong mid-range singing voices.  As the performance proceeded, I found myself changing my mind on which artist had the best voice, which is a good thing.  I might go with Bolognini.  While the songs were well sung, raising the keys on some of them would have created more brightness and urgency in their voices, but perhaps the tradeoff would be a loss of power.  Otherwise, they do a pretty resolute job within the limits of the material.

The creatives play a large role in the success of the production.  Lee Ann Payne not only directs with a lively touch but choreographs a ton of movement and the dances of the day like the twist and the frug.  Debra Lambert’s masterly musical and vocal direction includes harmony arrangements of the many ensembles as well as conducting and playing keyboards.  Also, Y. Sharon Peng captures the period look of hair, makeup, and costumes, though more of the daring signature looks of Carnaby Street and Vidal Sassoon would work nicely.

“Shout! The Mod Musical,” created by Phillip George, David Lowenstein, and Peter Charles Morris with music written by numerous composers and produced by South Bay Musical Theatre, plays at Saratoga Civic Center, 13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga, CA through October 16, 2021.

The cast – Linda Piccone, Jomar Martinez, Ray D’Ambrosio, Eiko Yamamoto, Izetta Fang Klein, Jason Mooney, Mai Abe in “Something To Point To.” All photos by Henry Wilen.

Few authors or media personalities from the last half of the 20^th century are more associated with the common people in America than Studs Terkel.  So broad were his credentials that he was inducted both into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame and the African American Writers Hall of Fame, despite being the heterosexual son of Russian Jewish immigrants.  Terkel’s hometown beat was a great laboring town, Chicago, the City of Broad Shoulders.  From a lifetime of communing in his community and across the country, he produced powerful oral histories based on interviews, particularly “Working” (1974) and the Pulitzer Prize winning “The Good War” (1985).

Waitress Linda Piccone, customers Mai Abe, Ray D’Ambrosio in “It’s an Art.”

Though the 1978 Broadway run by the musical based on “Working” was brief, a 2012 revision has enhanced its appeal to regional theater.  Just imagine some of the changes in the workplace in those 34 years, such as the role of computer-based technology, outsourcing, employee mobility, evolving expectations for performance, and growing gap between haves and have-nots.

Although the music in “Working” isn’t memorable, it works.  Lyrics are poignant and collectively build a balanced view of working life that hits the mark. With an ensemble cast of seven enthusiastic and convincing performers, Palo Alto Players offers a production that touches on all the right emotions – expressing and eliciting joy, sadness, pride, anger, and reflection on what our country is all about.

No plot line drives “Working,” rather it is episodic – a thematic musical revue with songs from several composers and limited dialog to enhance the vignettes.  These are stories of people prosperous and poor that paint a picture of American society through the occupations of its denizens.  Working people are honored, especially essential workers.  Unmentioned in the musical, but evident to lovers of the arts, is that the performers and creative people behind these artistic endeavors are the essential workers of our national culture.

Eiko Yamamoto, Linda Piccone, Izetta Fang Klein, Mai Abe in “Cleanin’ Women.”

Typically, the first criteria in assessing a person is what work they do, which sadly leads an observer in the song “Millwork” who sees a book in a laborer’s pocket to ask with surprise “Oh, do you read?”  One motif of work that is emphasized is the need for recognition and pride.  This is often depicted as doing something that everyone can’t do or having results to show from your effort.  You feel the self-esteem in “The Mason,” a song in which a stone worker boasts that what he builds will last forever.  You understand the skyscraper structural steel worker taking pride and being known for the courage to work in high places and producing tangible results.  You know that the firefighter possesses bravery and has tales to tell of saving people from fiery death.

At the other extreme are those who work in those “just” jobs like just a laborer.  One number that will tug at the heartstrings is “Just a Housewife,” a lament about how boring the work is and about always being defined by relation to others – someone’s mother, someone’s wife.  Worse yet is the denigration in the media that makes housewives feel small.  But the script flips for being just a waitress in the funny, bouncy “It’s an Art.”  This hash slinger has an attitude like Flo from “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”  She views herself as a down-home philosopher and table-top artist who educates diners, considering her diners as spectators.  So maybe it’s not such a bad occupation if you have the right skills and approach it in the right manner.

Jomar Martinez as a caregiver, Eiko Yamamoto as a nanny in “A Very Good Day.”

There are too many interesting stories to tell them all.  But two countervailing themes can be sensed throughout.  The sad side of opportunities lost is expressly addressed in the song “If I Could’ve Been.”  But many workers who suffer menial jobs possess dignity and accept fate believing that the payoff from their labor will come in future generations as revealed in “Fathers and Sons.”  A philosophical coda concerns the notion that workers deserve acknowledgement and that contributions to success come from many, not few.  Wouldn’t it be fitting if every building publicly listed every person involved in its construction and every person who ever worked in it?

“Working” moves quickly and holds the attention from beginning to end.  It contains great insights into the conditions of work and the psyches of workers.  The production is well directed by Patrick Klein, and the visual elements from varied costumes (R. Dutch Fritz) to industrial set (Scott Ludwig) and dramatic lighting (Abby May) work well.  One weakness is the sound system.  On opening night, sound clarity suffered considerably in songs with multiple singers.  In addition, artists lost sound in their microphones briefly several times.  Acting is effective throughout, as the actors understand their roles and interact well with one another.  Singing sometimes stands out but other times is a bit wanting.

“Working,” adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso from Studs Terkel’s non-fiction book “Working” with songs by Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers and Susan Birkenhead, Stephen Schwartz, and James Taylor, is produced by Palo Alto Players and plays at Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA through October 3, 2021.

Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Rinabeth Apostol, Keith Pinto, Melissa WolfKlain. All photos by Jessica Palopoli.

Love is all around in “Starting Here, Starting Now,” a musical revue of over 20 songs, each one an independent vignette about life.  San Francisco Playhouse offers Susi Damilano’s well-directed, high-energy rendering of this 1976 compilation of Maltby and Shire songs.  The winsome foursome of Rinabeth Apostol, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Keith Pinto, and Melissa WolfKlain warble and hoof their way through the evening with verve and enthusiasm in a concept and score with both strengths and weaknesses.

Rinabeth Apostol, Keith Pinto, Wilson Jermaine Heredia.

The musical revue is an odd hybrid appealing mostly to lovers of theatrical musicals and of music in general.  Its history dates to the late 19^th century with the typical characteristics in contemporary times being a series of songs by the same composer(s); dance and other movement to add theatricality; and the absence of dialogue and overarching storyline.

Most successful musical revues ride on the coattails of at least a smattering of beloved songs.  The music sometimes derives from theatrical musicals as with “Side by Side by Sondheim,” but more often, successful ones come from the world of popular music, like “Smokey Joe’s Café,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (conceived by Maltby in 1978),” and “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.”

What may surprise about “Starting Here, Starting Now” is that the whole roster of songs predates the later Broadway successes of the composers.  They are salvage from musicals that folded “out of town” or that never made it to any stage!  Though they are professionally crafted, only a couple have had an independent life outside of the stage and soundtrack recordings, so warm and fuzzy ah-ha moments of familiarity are lacking in the whole show.

Melissa WolfKlain, Keith Pinto.

At its outset, the show had modest success in Manhattan dinner theaters, but over the years, it has benefitted from revivals, demonstrating its draw.  One attraction to producers is that with a cast of three performers and an orchestra of three, it can be put on almost in a piano bar setting. Since characters are unnamed anyway, SF Playhouse expanded the cast to four, an excellent decision that adds balance, diversity, and heft.  An audience appeal of the score is that each song is a mini-drama – often poignant, sometimes emotional, and all sharing truths about relationships.  The stories are told with literate thoughts and lyrics, and the music is pleasant.  Perhaps true to life, more episodes concern the pain than the joy.

The songs weren’t written with the idea of being compiled, so they don’t act as a pure life cycle of love and loss (or everlasting bliss).  There is however a general flow from the excitement of first meeting with “I’m a Little Bit Off,” in which a person tries to control emotions but can’t resist the feeling of love, to breakup, with the lament “What About Today?” when the person is consoled that things will be better tomorrow, but the hurt is today.  A few numbers fail to connect well with the theme.

Ensembles that work well include the cynical “I Don’t Believe It” when listeners doubt the veracity of couples who publicly promote their loving bliss, and “One Step,” a tap dance number. Each performer has showcases as well.  Apostol is Charo-like sassy as a cosmetics girl in “I’m Going to Make You Beautiful,” and WolfKlain is quizzical and distracted by thoughts of love in the clue-driven “Crossword Puzzle.”  Pinto takes a humorous turn as a clown, while Heredia is reflective as a girl!  Each artist has a sweet spot in their range, but they are all a bit uneven, and sometimes the vocals seem that they could be stronger if the key were transposed.  Unlike most revues, this one also demands acting out the songs, and on this count, the artists excel, making the drama work.

Rinabeth Apostol, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Melissa WolfKlain

Dance and blocking choreographed by Nicole Helfer provide visual dynamics.  Heather Kenyon’s set design is simple, nightclub handsome with Music Director Dave Dobrusky center-stage rear at the grand piano flanked by a percussionist and a bass.  It should also be noted that in deference to changing times, the gender associations have changed significantly from the original, to include gay couples and songs sung by the opposite gender intended.

Many preferences in life are a matter of taste.  Lovers of musical revues who like the cerebral and the discovery of unfamiliar music and lyrics will appreciate this production.

“Starting Here, Starting Now,” a musical revue with lyrics by Roger Maltby, Jr. and music by David Shire is produced by San Francisco Playhouse and appears on their stage at 450 Post St., San Francisco, CA through October 2, 2021.