Los Angeles Times - Tuesday, July 12, 1994

STAGE REVIEW ‘Nanette’ Brings Frivolity to Long Beach

By SCOTT COLLINS S PECIAL TO THE TIMES

Early in NO, NO, NANETTE, For no very good reason, the title character is warned to everyone winds up at the beach avoid flappers “who think life is in Atlantic City as the show one long giggle.” gives new meaning to the term Those flapper girls have “light opera.” nothing on NO, NO, Director and choreographer NANETTE, the 1920s musical David Thome has staged this so light and frothy it makes nonsense with the right amount “42nd Street” look like Greek of pluck, even if the show never tragedy. quite reaches “Hellzapoppin” High kicks and soft-shoe, levels of giddiness. Due to the lame jokes and Tea for Two - immense size of the Terrace these foolish things have Theater, the action is broad and sustained ’ heavily amplified. three-act , off and on, ALAN J. DUIGNAN / Los Angeles Times The show is at its best when for the past 70 years. It is not Kaye Ballard, foreground, Shell Grossman in the cast members shut up and the oldest musical in American NO, NO, NANETTE dance. The superb tap routine theater history, but at times it fame). “That’ll make you for , with certainly feels that way. happy.” Fabray and chorus, almost Long Beach Civic Light As with everything else in brings down the house; likewise Opera has mounted a lavishly NANETTE, Smith’s comment is the elaborate soft-shoe for the appointed, cheerfully acted not meant ironically. The piece, immortal Tea for Two. Sean revival of Burt Shevelove’s the program notes inform us, is McMullin’s period costumes - celebrated adaptation, an about “what was (in the 1920s) flapper hats, pleated skirts, golf improbable hit on Broadway in topical, slightly racy and mostly sweaters - are definite pluses. the early ‘70s. Revised or not, sheer fun. As a wisecracking maid, Kaye NANETTE feels very out of Accordingly, teen-age Ballard gets a lot of comic step with the dark, literary Nanette (Elna Marie Binckes) mileage out of a stock role. musicals of the Sondheim era. grows restless under the tutelage Fabray puts the right addled, Whether that’s welcome of her guardians; the tycoon, oblivious spin on her aristocratic depends on one’s need for one Smith, and his frugal wife, Sue East Coast matron. MacLeod, long giggle. (Nanette Fabray). “I want to who has an endearing way of Blind optimism reigns raise a family,” the girt tells her talk-singing through numbers, is supreme in and suitor, a dull lawyer named Tom completely unconvincing as a Frank Mandel’s book, a high- (Michael Dotson), “but I want slightly daffy tycoon; which pitched Jazz Age farce that to raise a little hell first.” means, of course, that he’s wasn’t embarrassed by its own Smith, meanwhile, has been perfect for the part. fixation on the high life. “Go making some mischief of his out and spend some money own, giving cash gifts to foolishly,” advises rich Bible attractive young women who publisher Jimmy Smith (Gavin imagine his interest in them is MacLeod of “Love Boat” more than platonic (it isn’t). DRAMA-LOGUE JULY 14-20, 1994

"Tea for Two," followed by the entire No, No, Nanette Produced by Barry Brown for the Long Beach Civic Light Opera, company doing various soft-shoe renditions The Terrace Theatre, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach; (312) 365- to the melody (choreography and direction 3500 Opened July 7; plays Tues. – Sat., 8; Sat. – Sun. 3; closes July 24. are both by David Tho me). Dennis C astellano's musical direction is To give credit where credit is due: the always top-notch, Robert L. Smith's set is production values of No, No, Nanette (the charming; Sean Mc-Mullin's 1920's flapper final offering of Long Beach Civic Light costumes are snazzy, and Lawrence Opera's 1993/94 season) are first-rate across Oberman's lighting is right on target. As for the the board. The ageless Nanette Fabray, who's Harbach/Mandel book, forget it. Some been performing non-stop since she was three works stand the passage of time years old, continues to captivate audiences (Porgy & Bess, another 1925 musical, is as with her charm while she amazes them with meaningful today as it was when it was her effortless tap-dance agility. Perfectly cast written) and others don't. as Sue Smith, Fabray embodies the naive wife Shirle Gottlieb Gavin MacLeod, Nanette Fabray, and Kaye Ballard in 'No, No, of Mr. Smith, a wealthy Bible Nanette'

publisher whose sole mission in life is to make other people happy so that he can be happy. ("I Want To Be Happy" is the theme song of the show.) Gavin MacLeod plays her lovable husband Jimmy in the same bumbling style he perfected as Captain of The Love. Boat; and the inimitable Kaye Ballard is once again a crowd-pleaser with her feisty, comedic talents and sure sense of timing. In this dated Har- bash/Mandel/Youmans/Caesar musical (adapted in 1970 by Burt Shevelove), she plays Pauline the maid, an ersatz member of the family. Dynamite singing and dancing are performed by Tracy Lore as Lucille (Sue's sultry best friend), and Steve Moore as her husband (Jimmy's best buddy and attorney). Both are seasoned, multi-talented, highly charged actors who electrify the stage whenever they appear, (especially the "You Can With Any Girl At All" routine, and Lore's torchy blues solo, which is unarguably the high point of this production. The pivotal part of the overly-protected young girl who isn't allowed to do anything (hence the title) is charmingly performed by LBC LO newco mer Elna Marie Binckes. All she wants to do is go to Atlantic City with a gaggle of her friends — and the answer, of course, is "no, no!" Tom, the young man of her dreams, is portrayed by Michael Dotson (last seen in LBCLO's production of South Pacific). These two love-birds sing the old-fashioned ballad,