Written by JE Ballantine Jr.
YOUNGSTOWN – The world premiere of “Pete the Penguin’s Vintage Variety Show” opened Friday night at Youngstown State University’s Ford Theater.
The show, written and directed by YSU theater professor Adam Day Howard, is billed as a “musical comedy extravaganza – a raucous romp of entertainment.” All those words are true.
This was one of the most enjoyable theater nights I’ve had in a long time. The plot revolves around a group of actors attempting to perform a vaudeville script. But in doing so, you discover that many of the scripts cannot be executed as written. It’s old and very outdated – as the audience sees when one character opens the script and blows the accumulated dust out onto another character.
Reminiscent of the recent play “The Play That Goes Wrong,” this production sees a troupe of actors encounter misfortune as they attempt to improve throughout the show.
The show’s MC, played by Cyrus Zykowski, is a typical vaudeville MC. Speak quickly and include corny one-liners to grab the audience’s attention. Zikowski is the perfect leader for a frenetic ensemble as he keeps the show moving and has the energy needed for a frenetic ensemble. His rapport with the other cast members helps seal the cohesiveness of the production into a highly believable vaudeville show. His ventriloquism performance was the highlight of the night.
Helping him is a character known only as Comic Relief. Lauren Ladd handles these duties admirably. She really is the lubricant that lubricates the whole piece. Her timing, physical humor, choreography, and facial expressions make it extremely difficult to take your eyes off her, even for a second. If you look away, you might miss some great comedy. Her sense of vaudeville comedy is top-notch.
Rudd hit the nail on the head early on with a brilliant rendition of the old vaudeville classic “Yes, We Have No Bananas.” From there, she just keeps getting better. She reminded me a lot of 1950s movie actress Betty Garrett. She looked like her and had the same boundless energy.
Ben Podnar as the leading man brings another dimension to the production. His exuberant rendition of “Hello Ma Baby” with the help of a young audience is vintage vaudeville all over again, with all the snobbery that favored that form of entertainment for audiences in the ’20s and ’30s.
A very clever character addition is Alexa the dramaturg, played by Samantha Cox. Alexa is just a human version of virtual assistant technology. With a monotone and rapid-fire speech, Alexa rattles off complete explanations on a myriad of topics. Including local references and relevant dates (JFK assassination – to the date of 61 years ago Friday) makes Alexa a fun part of the show. You never know when she’ll share some lesser-known tidbits with you.
But Cox can also step outside of Alexa’s box a bit with musical numbers like “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” and “Charleston.”
Ilse Zijlstra, the show’s stage manager, has a transitional role in the show, rather than the mainstay of the comedy. She helps her comedy routines blend into the next material. Or not, if the troupe is left with a missing participant.
KJ Hudson, who plays June East, brings her “star” power to life in the second act, as her character is like the Mae West of drag. I was surprised how many people in the opening night audience had no idea who Mae West was. Hudson provided a fun and provocative June with just the right kick, along with a great rendition of “I Don’t Care.”
And of course, Sheriff Pete (Nick/Vixen Atwood) appears several times to corner Varmint, who needs to be arrested.
In addition to a few surprises, the entire cast works well to bring vaudeville to life for many in the audience who have never even heard of the word. Sure, some of the vaudeville stuff may have been corny and silly, but this one was just as fun.
Adam Day Howard wrote a great script and created a great show. His feel for the subject matter is impeccable, and the length of the show is just right, at just under an hour and a half.
The costumes by Kathryn Garlick are perfectly designed to fit into the vaudevillian era, adding even more color. The set design by Todd Dicken was simple and effective, reminiscent of what you would see in old vaudeville theaters. Guest choreographer LeeAnne Johnson’s choreography was in the style of the time, adding life and movement to an already energetic show.
It’s one of the shows I want to watch twice. It moves so fast and is full of comedic elements that it’s hard to understand everything from the beginning. Additionally, incorporating audience participation adds an extra level. Kudos to everyone involved for a very fun and entertaining evening that took us back to the days of vaudeville.
“Pete the Penguin’s Vintage Variety Show” continues on Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. November 24th 2pm
Pictured above: Ilsa Zijlstra, Pete the Penguin, and Cyrus Zykowski in “Pete the Penguin’s Vintage Variety Show: Musical Comedy Extravaganza.”
Copyright 2024 Business Journal, Youngstown, OH.
