[Woody’s [rating: 2.5]
Thea Brooks (Lucy), Euriamis Losada (Ricky), Kevin Remington (Fred), and Lori Hammel (Ethel) head the cast of “I Love Lucy — Live on Stage.” Photo by Ed Krieger.
- Euriamis Losada (Ricky Ricardo) and company work themselves into a Cuban musical frenzy in “I Love Lucy — Live on Stage.” Photo by Hyra George.
The legendary Lucille Ball, who played the title role in the fabled 1950s TV series “I Love Lucy” is long dead.
Since 1989.
Even longer gone are her series’ co-stars, real-life husband Desi Arnaz (since ‘86), Vivian Vance (‘79) and William Frawley (’66).
But all four are alive and well again, or at least their spirit and characters are.
A new musical comedy, “I Love Lucy — Live on Stage,” playfully resurrects Lucy Ricardo, Ricky Ricardo, Ethel Mertz and Fred Mertz.
And lets them fumble and stumble accordingly.
In primary colors, as opposed to my first encounter with them on a tiny black-and-white screen 60 years ago.
Opening night they made me grin, chortle and chuckle (while most of the crowd bellylaughed, howled and whooped).
It follows, then, that if you’re one of the multitudes who catch “Lucy” cable re-runs each year, you’ll enjoy the national touring company at the SHN Curran Theater in San Francisco.
And if you’re one of the dozen adults over 40 on the planet who’ve never seen an episode, now’s your chance to see two recreated.
Just prepare yourself for 100 minutes of vintage humor topped with white-bread jingles and choreography.
If you can’t handle nostalgia or ‘50s leitmotifs, you might want to catch something edgier.
Which means, I guess, almost anything else.
The show’s conceit turned the crowd and me into a Desilu soundstage audience that gets to witness Thea Brooks as Lucy (with huge eyes and an even bigger smile that intentionally never leaves her face) and Euriamis Losada as Ricky (whose crooning voice is better than Desi’s was).
As in the original series, Fred (Kevin Remington) and Ethel (Lori Hammel) survive being on the receiving end of Lucy’s convoluted plots and whacky antics.
Those of us seated in the theater could choose to hoot whenever the “Applause” light goes on.
I opted not to.
A company of 10, the most outstanding of which is Denise Moses, ably supports the leading actors. She amusingly exaggerates the role of Mrs. Birdie Mae Figg, an outspoken Oklahoma visitor (plus a quartet of other characters).
The cast breezes through a cartoonish version of “The Benefit,” in which the juvenile, talent-challenged redhead manipulates her tongue-tied Cuban hubby into letting her perform, and “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined,” where eye drops blend blurred vision and slapstick.
Between those episodes are over-the-top renderings of ‘50s commercials by the Crystaltone Singers, a makeshift sextet that captures the simplicity, innocence and alleged merits of such products as Brylcreem, Alka Seltzer and Halo shampoo — and performs intentionally stilted movements ranging from a goofy maypole dance to rhythmic spasms that more resemble calisthenics than choreography.
Those performers also interject ditties from the long-ago that include hokey tidbits like “Glow Worm” and “Under the Bamboo Tree.”
A special plaque should go to bright costuming by Shon LeBlanc and Kelly Bailey (including an outrageous zoot-suit) and the mega-high energy of Andy Belling’s six-piece band.
“I Love Lucy — Live on Stage” began in 2000 as a 50th anniversary traveling exhibit that paused at state and county fairs, malls and casinos. It included memorabilia, still photos and video montages from the original TV programs.
In 2012, the series was voted “Best TV Show of All Time” in an ABC News/People magazine poll.
This fleshed-out pastiche, friskily staged and directed by Rick Sparks, had premiered in Los Angeles a few months before.
Curiously, neither Lucille Ball’s name nor those of any other original performers are uttered during the performance.
What is inserted, though, are references to wrestler Gorgeous George and other icons and elements of those quiet Eisenhower years. Check out this announcement: “Turn of all transistor radios and other noise-making devices, and that includes your children.”
Before and after the show, a young woman peddling Lucy souvenirs in the lobby had inadvertently obliterated that theatrical time-warp illusion.
She was tattooed from shoulder to wrist, not a female phenom of the fifties.
Then, as I was leaving, a wag suggested he’d have enjoyed the show more had it been done in drag.
I didn’t know what to say.
“‘I Love Lucy’ — Live on Stage” runs at the Curran Theatre, 445 Geary St., San Francisco, through Nov. 23. Evening performances Tuesdays through Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 6:30 p.m. Matinees, Saturdays, 2 p.m.; Sundays 1 p.m. Tickets: $40 to $135. Information: (888) 746-1799 or shnsf.com.
Contact Woody Weingarten at voodee@sbcglobal.net or check out his new blog at www.vitalitypress.com/.
