No Way To Treat A Lady
A delightful musical, No Way To Treat A Lady, is having the Los Angeles premiere at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. No Way To Treat A Lady is based on the cult movie by the same name that starred Rod Steiger, Lee Remick, and George Segal. The book, music, and lyrics are by Douglas Cohen. The musical is co-directed by West Hyler and Shelley Butler.
The plot hinges on the story of a failed actor/serial killer who is hung up on his mother a famous but now dead stage actress, who never felt he amounted to anything. The killer, Christopher “Kit” Gill” sets about to kill a series of older women using various disguises to intrude on their lives (dance instructor, an Irish priest named “Father Barry Fitzgerald, and a shy young girl) in attempts to get into the New York Times. Along the way we encounter an ambitious Detective Morris Brummel, also berated by his mother because he is not as successful as his brother the doctor. They lives become entangled and the killer ends up trying to strangle Brummel’s new girlfriend. The story is played mainly for laughs and not much suspense
The handsome Jack Noseworthy, who makes an attractive woman, is the campy self -hating actor. He has a wonderful singing voice. I must admit I wished he were more actor than singer. He settled for very surfaces disguises without creating unique characters. The talented Heather Lee however creates a whole slew of older characters and she plays all the victims and the respective mothers of the Detective and killer. What’s really great is that the characters are fully inhabited. Erica Piccininni plays Brummel’s new patient girlfriend. She has a lovely voice and creates a sympathetic character. One of my favorite actors, Kevin Symonds, plays the hapless Detective. Mr. Symonds is remarkable in that he acts as well as or perhaps even better than he sings. He is the perfect put upon “Everyman” and is always a joy to watch. His characters are always interesting and detailed.
The direction by Hyler and Butler is interesting enough but hampered by the cramped quarters. They do very well considering the limitations of space. The music and lyrics are catchy but not particularly memorable. Overall the evening is enjoyable and you should be entertained by this talented cast. No Way To Treat A Lady plays at the Colony Theatre until May 17th.
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Theater: Colony Theatre, 555 North Third St., Burbank.
Web Site: http://www.colonytheatre.org/
Tickets: (818) 558-7000 ext. 15
Dates: Through May 17, 2009