A few comments:
1.) A musical is a giant puzzle. It is very difficult to write, cast and stage. Someone sitting in an audience can imagine only a fraction of the time and effort writers, designers, producers, directors and actors must invest in order to assemble all the pieces into a flowing work of art.
2.) Nobody is getting rich doing theater in Palo Alto.
2.) Any Opening Night performance, particularly for a World Premiere, is bound to be laden with nervous energy. The theater has been filled with comps and everybody’s parents and boyfriends are there.
3.) Sometimes this nervous energy leads to greatness.
4.) We all have stereotypes. Some are harder than others to break.
5.) It's easier to fit "Cats" or "Gigi" or "Hamilton" on a marquee than “Happy Pleasant Valley: A Senior Sex Scandal Murder Mystery Musical,”
5a) So it’s always a good idea, when the title of your show is “Happy Pleasant Valley: A Senior Sex Scandal Murder Mystery Musical,” to make sure the story makes sense, the music is tuneful, the murders are comprehensible and you don’t patronize everyone over fifty in the audience, which at the Lucie Stern Theater pretty much includes the entire roster of season ticket holders.
6.) Sophie Oda (Jade) and Lucinda Hitchcock Cone (Vicki) are excellent singers and underutilized Ezra Reaves (Dean) appears to be as well.
And that’s my review.
RATINGS: UNRATED
The San Francisco Theater Blog Awards Division, several members being over fifty, is too tired to give this show a rating. We’re going to the potluck and then we’ll need a nap.
Happy Pleasant Valley: a Senior Sex Scandal Murder Mystery Musical
Lucie Stern Theater
1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Through Mar 30
$44-$94
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