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Review: A cute S.F. fairy tale
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Related Topics: SAN FRANCISCO
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Scott Phillips, left, and Brandon Finch appear in “Oh My Godmother.”
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - “Oh My Godmother” — it’s a San Francisco treat!
The timing, Gay Pride weekend, couldn’t have been more appropriate for the San Francisco premiere of a new musical based on the Cinderella tale; only this time, “Cinder” isn’t Ella, he’s Albert, and his fairy godmother is a fella who runs a clothes shop in what’s got to be the Castro.
The clever show, written, directed and staged by Ron Lytle, already found success in 2005 and again in 2007 in productions presented by Altarena Playhouse in Alameda.
This new production, onstage at Zeum Theater in The City, features some actors enthusiastically reprising their roles: Godmother, Stepmother and the nasty stepsisters.
The bouncy, sassy tone is set from the opening number, “San Francisco: Home Sweet Home to Me” (lyrics touch on the seedy Tenderloin and the lack of parking around town), to the rousing closer, “Old Fashioned Commitment Ceremony.”
Unlike in many new musicals, the songs are catchy, many memorable enough to survive beyond the confines of this show.
All of the characters get their moment in the spotlight: Godmother (Scott Phillips) sets the stage with the “Once Upon a Time” prologue; Albert (Brandon Finch) shares his troubles about his heartless step-family in “CinderAlbert.”
Albert’s friend Payne (Tomas Theriot, deliciously reminiscent of Jack in “Will & Grace”) struts his stuff in “Look at the Way,” while Albert’s would-be paramour Prince (Kyle Payne) wonders about his sexuality in “Who Am I?”
Prince’s flamboyant gay parents Oscar (Steve Yates) and Truman (John Erreca) reveal their devotion in “I Must Be in Love,” while the evil stepsisters Esther Hazy (Lisa Otterstetter) and Esta Lieber (Julia Etzel) lament their bad romantic fortune in the Cole Porter-esque tune, “Somebody for Everybody.”
Jennifer Tice is the Cruella-like Stepmother whose big number — the title rhymes with “rich” — describes her character. Despite the seemingly adult themes of the show, that one word is about the most risqué element of what might even be called a family-oriented, community-minded production. “Oh My Godmother” isn’t cutting-edge; boasting a big heart, soul and spirit, its community theater roots are evident.
IF YOU GO
Oh My Godmother
Where: Zeum Theater, 221 Fourth St. (at Howard Street), S.F.
When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays; closes July 26
Tickets: $25 to $35
Contact: (800) 383-3006 or www.ohmygodmother.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
7:47 AM MST on Sun., May. 25, 2008 re: "‘Cymbaline’ crashes"
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9:07 AM MST on Fri., Apr. 25, 2008
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Examiner Reader said:
The fact that the reviewer misspelled the title of the play doesn't change the fact that this was a difficult production to sit through. Give the director kudos for trying something different, but it really did not work.
5 agree | 3 disagree
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Former Examiner Reader said:
My wife and I saw Cymbeline this past weekend and really enjoyed it.
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theatergoer in DC said:
Wow. I saw Cymbeline last week and wouldn't have recognized it from this review. It's always a pity when theater reviewers haven't the attention span to follow, say, theater. You know Cymbeline is Shakespeare from the start of the first act -- who else so perfectly weaves exiled lovers, mistaken identities, and of course, murder and poison -- and far from another staid production enjoyed only by closed-minded fuddy-duddies, I thought the dog and pony production took what admittedly isn't Shakespeare's best work and jazzed it up -- it was a funny and high-energy performance when I was there, and instead of spacing out at a stiff production with overdramatized lines, I was - forbid! - engaged with the storyline and the characters throughout. I hope this review doesn't keep anyone away -- it's definitely not a traditional staging of a Shakespeare play, but given the production I saw, I think that was a selling point.
6 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Yeah, it's hard to take seriously a critic who can't even be bothered to look at his program to confirm the spelling of the title of the play. And Shakespeare, no less! No reader in their right mind should voluntarily subject themselves to such shoddy "journalism."
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Examiner Reader said:
Wow...he mispelled it 4 times...if he can't spell, how can he be taken seriously?
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Examiner Reader said:
Wow...I haven't seen this show yet, but have serious doubts about the review when the critic cannot spell the name of the play correctly. Hey! Doug Krentzlin! The play is called Cymbeline! With an E in the middle! Let as many people post on this as possible!
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Examiner Reader said:
The play is actually spelled...Cymbeline...there is no A (assuming we're talking about the one Shakespeare wrote)
6 agree | 3 disagree
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