{"id":9622,"date":"2014-01-20T17:34:07","date_gmt":"2014-01-21T01:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=9622"},"modified":"2014-01-20T17:34:07","modified_gmt":"2014-01-21T01:34:07","slug":"victorvictoria-at-6th-street-playhouse-santa-rosa-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/victorvictoria-at-6th-street-playhouse-santa-rosa-ca\/","title":{"rendered":"Victor\/Victoria at 6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa CA"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photos by Eric Chazankin<\/em><\/p>\n

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Abbey Lee (center), with chorus<\/p><\/div>\n

Love by Any Other Name Would Still Be Hilarious<\/strong><\/h2>\n

During the Weimar era of the 1920s and early 1930s, before Hitler came to power and crashed the party, Berlin was an incubator for expressionistic film and theatre. Creativity and originality flourished like orchids in a hothouse. It was here that Marlene Dietrich<\/strong> developed her iconic cabaret style. Daring, visionary films like The Blue Angel<\/em>, Nosferatu<\/em> and Metropolis <\/em>were created.\u00a0 From this heady environment sprang the gender-bending musical comedy film Viktor und Viktoria<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Fast-forward to 1982. Filmmaker Blake Edwards<\/strong> decided the story would be a perfect vehicle for his wife, singing star Julie Andrews<\/strong>. In a month he had a new screenplay, with fabulous new songs by Henry Mancini <\/strong>and Leslie Bricusse<\/strong>. His film Victor Victoria<\/em> was a smash hit, garnering an Oscar for best original musical score. In 1995 Edwards adapted\u00a0 his film into the Broadway sensation Victor\/Victoria<\/em> with additional songs and over 700 performances. There was a Tony Award for Andrews, which she famously declined because she felt the rest of the cast had been overlooked.<\/p>\n

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Tim Setzer<\/p><\/div>\n

The premise involves a down-and-out British penny-opera singer named Victoria Grant who finds herself in Paris and out of work. Gay cabaret performer Toddy comes to her rescue with a brilliant idea: why not present her to Paris\u2019 top talent agent as a male impersonator? Sure enough, \u00a0almost overnight \u201cVictor\u201d is the number-one must-see act in all of Gay Paree. \u00a0Dignitaries and underworld figures alike flock to his\/her shows, including a Chicagoland nightclub owner and rum-runner named King Marchan. After seeing Victoria perform, Marchan is not at all convinced that \u201cshe\u201d is really a \u201che\u201d. \u00a0Of course the two fall madly in love, and the most delightful complications arise.<\/p>\n

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Taylor Bartolucci DeGuilio<\/p><\/div>\n

Napa Valley Playhouse Artistic Director Michael Ross<\/strong> directs the current production at 6th<\/sup> Street Playhouse. It packs an entertainment wallop with a cast chock-full of top local talent. Taylor Bartolucci DeGuilio<\/strong> (Spamalot, Great American Trailer Park Musical<\/em>) in the title role is a commanding presence and nails both the part and the English accent, hitting all those glass-shattering high notes with ease. She\u2019s nearly pitch-perfect, especially in her duets and ensemble numbers, although warbling a bit in her solos. \u00a0Tim Setzer<\/strong> (Scrooge, Young Frankenstein<\/em>) sparkles in the role of Toddy, delivering a deliciously arch performance and strong vocals. At first Anthony Guzman<\/strong> seemed a bit young for such a seasoned tough-guy mobster like Marchan, but he eases into the role and maintains a sturdy, romantic support for DeGuilio.<\/p>\n

A very pleasant surprise is Abbey Lee<\/strong> as Marchan\u2019s \u201cmoll\u201d, the dim-bulb chorus girl Norma. Lee nearly runs off with the show every scene she\u2019s in, especially musical numbers like \u201cChicago, Illinois\u201d and \u201cParis Makes Me Horny\u201d. It\u2019s a showy part, to be sure, but Lee<\/strong> is superb at chewing the scenery and sizzles like a firecracker while doing it.<\/p>\n

Director Ross uses good, solid staging and scene changes, and keeps the jazz hot from beginning to end. It would have been nice if set designer Vincent Mothersbaugh<\/strong> had used more Art Deco influence for some of the interior scenes, since the show is set in Paris, the birthplace of Art Deco, in the very Art Deco period of 1933. Nonetheless, the set works. Beautiful lighting by April George<\/strong> creates the perfect ambiance, as does the agile choreography by Staci Arriaga<\/strong>. The orchestra was not quite in tune during the overture and Act I, but they improved during the course of the evening and by Act II had warmed up.<\/p>\n

This is truly one of the funniest and most heartwarming musical comedies ever, and the crew at 6th<\/sup> Street has done a wonderful job in presenting it. But it\u2019s more than that – it\u2019s also a love story for the ages. As Ross says, \u201cThe timeliness of this love story is not lost on contemporary audiences as we, as a society, evolve (however slowly) in the acceptance of the many shapes and forms that love can take.\u201d And when love is this much fun, who can argue?<\/p>\n

When: Now through February 2, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

8:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday<\/strong><\/p>\n

2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tickets: $15 to $35 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Location: GK Hardt Theater at 6th<\/sup> Street Playhouse<\/strong><\/p>\n

52 West 6th<\/sup> Street<\/strong>, Santa Rosa CA<\/strong>
\nPhone: 707-523-4185 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Website: <\/strong>www.6thstreetplayhouse.com<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo Photos by Eric Chazankin Love by Any Other Name Would Still Be Hilarious During the Weimar era of the 1920s and early 1930s, before…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9622","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-greg-suzanne-angeo"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"