Review: 'Dames at Sea' just what the doctor ordered By NANCY STETSON, nrstetson@naplesnews.com May 14, 2005
There's a moment in "South Pacific" when the sailors glorify women, singing "There is nothing like a dame."
I'd like to paraphrase that classic lyric: there is nothing like "Dames At Sea" if you're looking for a rollicking, fun time at the theater.
By the time the actors took their final bows on stage at the Naples Dinner Theatre, I was exhausted from laughing so often and so heartily.
Exhausted, and happy.
"Dames At Sea," originally on Broadway in the late 1960s, spoofs the movies of the 1930s. And from the very start, this minimal cast of six gets it right, with broad gestures and overly dramatic singing and dialogue.
When the musical opened with an innovative presentation of credits as if seen in an old movie, I knew we were in for something special. And I wasn't disappointed.
"Dames At Sea" is filled with hysterically cliched characters and situations: the overbearing, self-centered diva; the young hopeful tapdancer from a small town who wants to make it on Broadway; the tough-talking-but-has-a-heart-of-gold dancer and the gruff director.
It's all a send-up of every small-town-girl-makes-it-big-against-all-odds movie you've ever seen. The characters are prone to saying "swell" and "keen" and deliver melodramatic lines such as "don't you see that you're the only one for me in this whole screwy world?"
Debi Guthery plays Mona Kent, the actress who feels that it's her natural-born right that the spotlight should always center on her. Guthery is not only a great singer and belter, but she's a skilled comedic actor as well. Just watch her as she desperately tries to hop on top of the piano for a torch song, or the way she plays with her braids in "The Echo Waltz."
I was laughing from the very first number, "Wall Street," during which, in an awkward attempt to tap dance, her character looks like a horse pawing at the ground with her hoof.
The ultimate in hilarity was "The Beguine," in which she and the Captain (D. Tomas Desimone) serenade each other about the tryst they had in Pensacola. The number is so over-the-top it makes opera look as tame as an instruction manual.
At times, the show is so campy it reminded me of an episode of "PeeWee's Playhouse." I'm not sure if that's exactly what director Michael Wainstein was going for.
There aren't any talking armchairs or pterodactyls in "Dames At Sea," but the musical has the same tone of wackiness, and if the audience catches on, there are jokes going on at a whole 'nother level. There are double entendres and lines that sound highly suggestive, but the characters are so gosh-darn cute and innocent that they just keep going, chirping this upbeat, cliche-ridden dialogue.
Kristin Donnelly plays Ruby, the girl fresh off the bus who happens to meet Dick (Jonathan Burgard), a songwriting sailor. The two, of course, are made for each other, but then Mona catches a glimpse and claims him as her own. Dick is overwhelmed to meet such a famous star and feels she can advance his career. Burgard has a strong, rich voice and sings as dramatically as Nelson Eddy. In "It's You," the two serenade each other with lyrics that are lists of the names of famous people.
"Raining in My Heart" is another highlight of the evening, with Donnelly's winsome delivery. The others sing and dance behind her, dressed in yellow slickers with red trim, spinning tomato red umbrellas and looking like "Singin' in the Rain" extras.
Joan (Sarah Nasto) and Lucky, a sailor (played by Christopher Noffke) have their moments too, singing and dancing to "Choo-Choo Honeymoon." Noffke is so chipper and perpetually grinning he's like a dancing Howdy Doody doll.
And the entire company are just tap-dancing fools, with one schmaltzy, over-the-top number after another. (There seems to be at least as much tap dancing — though not even a tenth as many dancers — as "42nd Street.") Noffke outdoes himself with the show's choreography.
Sound at the dinner theater can sometimes be a problem, but it was strong and balanced throughout the evening, possibly because the actors were wearing headsets. Even the music sounded great. (At times music at the theater can sound tinny, but for this it fit the intended cheesiness of the show.)
"Dames At Sea" is truly one of the feel-good shows of the season, and the Naples Dinner Theatre's production hits the bull's-eye.
But I couldn't help but wonder why it wasn't sold out and why people aren't flocking to see it. The show has a short run and certainly deserves to be enjoyed by as many theater-lovers as possible.
(Plus, it's cheaper than Prozac and as effective as laughing gas.)
You just can't help but love a show that makes you laugh so much, and feel so good.