`Godmother’ sprinkles fairy dust in time for Pride

June 26, 10:49 AMSF Theater ExaminerChad Jones

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The story of Ron Lytle’s modern “Cinderella” musical “Oh My Godmother!”  is not unlike a fairy tale itself.

Lytle, a performer and songwriter who has worked extensively with children’s theater (he wrote “There’s No Business Like Shoe Business” for East Bay Children’s Theatre), decided to give the “Cinderella” story a spin by turning the heroine into a hero named Albert and to set the whole thing in the Castro District.

Dreaming of escaping his homophobic stepmother and stepsisters, Albert meets the man of his dreams — named Prince, naturally --  and after a series of events that prevent the two lovebirds from finding true happiness, Albert’s fairy godmother (a man, of course) intervenes.

The show’s first reading was in 2005 at the Altarena Playhouse in Alameda. That went so well that the theater booked it for three weeks. That sold-out run inspired a 2007 revival, which is when retired schoolteacher Barbara Nemer saw the show and decided to become its real-life fairy godmother.

“When the lights came up at intermission I thought, `This is the most fun I’ve had in the theater in years. I’ve got to bring this show to San Francisco!’” Nemer says.

Nemer was as good as her word, and just in time for Pride Weekend, “Oh My Godmother!” is opening at the Zeum Theater in Yerba Buena Gardens.

“Take everything you know about Cinderella, paint it pink, add some toe-tapping tunes and a surprise or two, and you have `Oh My Godmother!’” Lytle says. “The amazing thing about this show is how strongly all kinds of audiences have responded to it. Young and old, men and women, gay and straight have all left the theater smiling and humming. There really is something in it for everyone. That’s especially true now that it’s finally playing San Francisco – the city is virtually a character in the show.”

Lytle’s score has been compared to Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Jerry Herman, though such venerable American songsmiths probably wouldn’t have songs with titles such as “Bitch!” or “Old Fashioned Commitment Ceremony.” (The show’s more traditional song titles include “I Must Be in Love,” “You’ll Know When You Know” and “Somebody for Everybody.”

The cast includes Brandon Finch of San Francisco as Albert, Kyle Payne of San Leandro as Prince and Scott Phillips of Danville as Godmother, a role Phillips created at the first reading three years ago.

But the heart, soul and fairy dust of the production is Lytle. He wrote the music and lyrics, directs the show and designed the set. Here’s hoping for a storybook happy ending for the little musical that could.

MORE INFORMATION: “Oh My Godmother” is at 8 p.m.
Thursdays-Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are
$25-$35. Zeum Theatre is at 221 Fourth St. (at Howard
Street), San Francisco. Call 800-838-3006 or visit
www.ohmygodmother.com.