THEATER REVIEW | MAKEOVER
New musical's definitely a cut below
Auditioning for its closeup, 'Makeover' could use some drastic plastic surgery of its own.
Posted on Wed, May. 21, 2008
BY CHRISTINE DOLEN
EILEEN SOLER / FOR THE MIAMI HERALD
At least stars Katie Angell Thomas and Don Stansfield are pretty good singers.
IF YOU GO
What:Makeover by Mark Poncy
Where: Hollywood Playhouse, 2640 Washington St., Hollywood, through June 1
When: 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday-Sunday
Cost: $38
Info: 954-922-0404 or
www.hollywoodplayhouse.com
Sure, it's just a publicist's pre-opening hype, but when you read ''reminiscent of early Sondheim'' in the description of a new musical, it sets up expectations, you know?
For critics, skeptical creatures that we are, hubris like that doesn't make us go, ''Oh, wow, something Sondheim-like is about to debut!'' It makes us go, ``Wow. That's a tall order.''
So, to dispense with that particular comparison early on, there is nothing remotely reminiscent of the work of Stephen Sondheim -- early, middle or late -- in Makeover, a musical getting its world premiere at the Hollywood Playhouse.
With a score, lyrics and book by producer-playwright Mark Poncy of North Palm Beach, Makeover aims to be a playful musical fairy-tale with a message: Couples should appreciate what they have and pay attention to each other.
As a composer, Poncy sometimes displays a melodic gift, particularly in the numbers Old Fashion Love and Make Me Over. His lyrics, however, leave much to be desired -- rhyming ''Lexus'' and ''taxes,'' for example. The script is even worse.
In brief, it takes our heroine, soft-around-the-middle Valerie Dugan (Katie Angell Thomas), from hausfrau to hottie. Thinking her orthodontist hubby Joe (Don Stansfield) doesn't really see her anymore, she seeks out plastic surgeon Firme La Tusch (a scenery-chewing Jack James, whose French accent is pure Pepé Le Pew).
Go ahead and groan. Or save it for the point when Valerie's miserable hubby says to a black piano player named Spam (Jackie Patterson), ``Play it again, Spam.''
The not-so-good nip-tuck doc is played by the same actor who plays Lucifer. Yes, that Lucifer. Makeover may have nothing to do with Sondheim, but it doesn't mind cribbing from Damn Yankees and even the Eagles' Hotel California.
Poncy seems to feel the ''fairy-tale'' concept exempts him from bothering with the merest hints of logic and credibility. Valerie, for example, gets wheeled off to surgery directly after her initial consultation with Dr. La Tusch. She skips the recovery phase and goes directly to the gym, where a ''hot'' trainer (Matthew William Chizever, who is not, in fact, in shape) comes on to her. And so on.
Though orchestrator Dennis Blischeck and musical director David Nagy help Makeover sound decent, director Peter Loewy doesn't pull off any miracles with his staging. Several numbers consist of a little singing, a little dance break, a little more singing. In the interest of keeping the cast size down, Gina Nespoli and Debbie Goldberg play both Val's best pals and her teenage twins, but Loewy doesn't even attempt to have the actors make the teens credible -- Goldberg, for example, wears her blond wig in pigtails and skips offstage in a way that might work for a 6-year-old.
Thomas and Stansfield have decent voices, so when they're singing, Makeover is a better show. Slightly.
Christine Dolen is The Miami Herald's theater critic.
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