If you are a fan of I Love Lucy and always wondered what it would be like to see their live TV show as it was being filmed, have we got a show for you! As Ricky would say,

“ . . . let me ‘splain you!”

 

So they searched the farthest hills of Hollywood and prowled the depths of Theatre Row and came up with a huge ensemble that is the very embodiment of what a cast of characters would be in the 1950’s.

These people don’t take you back to the ‘50’s. They bring the ‘50’s up to you and as you sit in the audience you actually feel that you are sitting at the Desilu lot watching the filming of one the favorite all time shows of television.

 

When Lucy and Ricky enter (Sirena Irwin and Bill Mendieta) the funhouse doors swing wide open and it’s like going on the “E” ticket at Disneyland. (younger folks may not know that the E ticket was used only to get on the best rides). Then Fred and Ethel join them (Bill Chott and Lisa Joffrey) and the magic of Television wraps you up in a half-hour of sheer unadulterated nostalgic joy.

Bill Chott- Sirena Irwin - Lisa Joffrey - Bill Mendieta

 

The scripts were drawn from two actual I Love Lucy episodes and as usual Lucy tries to get Ricky to put her in a benefit show for Ethel's charity club, and later Fred, Ethel and Lucy audition for a big time producer who is looking for talent for his next project. As was the case in the shows, Lucy gets into hot water managing to bring Fred and Ethel along and while almost everything goes wrong, in the end the patience and good nature of Ricky makes everything OK again. Sirena Irwin has some of the same comic faces that Lucy had along with great physical endurance for humor and Bill Mendieta not only sings up a storm (with a credible Ricky accent), he has a certain Latin flair that is a little reminiscent of Ricky.   His Babaluu proves that Bill loves Lucy and Ricky too.  We had hoped to hear how he mumbled in rapid fire Spanish when frustrated with Lucy – but the closest we got was "ay ay ay".

 

Gregory Franklin - Mark Christopher Tracy

When Hillary Clinton wrote that “ . . . it takes a village . ." she must have had this show in mind. The number of people involved in bringing this production about is almost a small army and besides the four principals there is Noel Britton, Tom Christensen, Steven Connor, Gregory Franklin, Kerri-Anne Lavin, Ed Martin, Denise Moses, Cindi Sciacca, Amy Tolsky and Gina Torrecilla. In one skit, the host calls for audience volunteers for a little quiz and besides Amy Tolsky who was set up to do the bit, A. J. Waters comes up on stage.

Who is A. J. Waters you ask? A. J. is a charismatic young man who had the stomach to go on stage and face a barrage of Lucy show related questions. A. J. acquitted himself quite nicely taking the early lead in the contest only to be bested by one question at the end. That was a fun part of the show because one never knew if the whole thing was a setup or not. When Ms Tolsky begins to question his “strange” attire (2011 cool vs. her 1950 prim & proper dress) the audience rolled. A. J. may have a future as an impromptu guest in retro shows!

 

The bottom line is that this show points out that when humor is solidly developed, a 1950 joke can float just as well in 2011 if the delivery is good.  And this show delivers – real GOOD, as Ricky would say.

It also proves that when people anywhere are asked about the show, the universal response is –

“I LOVE Lucy!”

You will too.

Highly Recommended

Plays through December 18, 2011 at the:

Greenwood Court Theatre 544 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Reservations at 1-800-595-4TIX or at www.ilovelucylive.com,

Comments? Write to us at:  Letters@Reviewplays.com