Respect
The West Coast Premiere of "RESPECT: The Girl EM-Powered Musical" is the perfect song and dance production for women of all ages, and for a moment or two, the most masculine of men will wish they were women.
On the stage of the El Portal Forum Theatre stand four women, each equal in talent, portraying the multifarious creation of Dorothy Marcic, who spent nine years researching, writing, and developing "Respect."
What began as a one-woman show for an economic development seminar about the equality of men and women, has turned into a must see musical adventure of women, using popular music of the 20th Century.
Here, any incapability of a woman to express herself is wiped away with the use of these highly enjoyable songs we all know and love, while examples of each reference are projected on a giant screen above the stage.
Alet Taylor claims the prize for most entertaining performer I have seen on stage in ages. Her every moment, song, and step capture a "Natural Woman."
The remainder of the cast lead by Susan Carr George is outstanding. It's easy to trust that George is speaking of herself when narrating the story for (writer) Marcic. Jackie Seiden is a mixed breed of ingénue and character actress, switching into each new character faster than you can nudge your date with the sharing of enjoyment. Beautifully on-target is the talented NRaca, who performs like an angel while grasping the power and stature of an ancient Nubian queen.
(Whether or not it was rehearsed to happen, there was a hilarious moment in the show when each actress broke character while Taylor sang a knee-slapping rendition of "It Must Be Him." As she seemingly randomly added in, "God, I gotta pee" and "I don't think I can finish this song." This situation turned even me from quiet, inside laugher to adding a joyous outburst with the already assembled audience hysteria. Even her cast mates were laughing with one of them adding a gesture of, "Whats going on?")
"RESPECT" is directed and produced by Peter Loewy, whose vision imbrues the minds of men to respect their women. Choreographer Lee Martino calibrated notably enjoyable dance steps, representing generations of wildly entertaining styles. Musical Director Jim Vukovich shies away in the corner, failing to hide as he winds up being one of the main attractions: wailing on the piano with the energy of Jimmy Durante and the talent of Bill Evans.
It's not surprising to see Victoria Profitt's colorfully tasteful set design. Profitt is responsible for the some of the best visual stage art in L.A. theatre. In this circumstance, her background is reminiscent of "American Bandstand," allowing tricky choreography to dance its way up and down stairs and platforms.
Edwin Pleitez's lighting design is a strong competitor with all of the other production elements in an intense struggle for the "spotlight," brightening Ivy Thaide's nifty costume designs, which elicit their own giggles and gasps when the characters transform '40s steel-worker coats to frilly '50s aprons within the wink of an eye.
See it before it's gone because there won't be a hit like this one for years to come.
On a grading scale - A+