{"id":2879,"date":"2008-06-15T07:48:00","date_gmt":"2008-06-15T14:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/?p=2879"},"modified":"2015-02-01T17:40:04","modified_gmt":"2015-02-02T01:40:04","slug":"heres-the-story-of-a-lovely-lady","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/?p=2879","title":{"rendered":"Here’s the story of a lovely lady…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Many years ago, Sherwood Schwartz and Frank DeVol penned a little ditty that is burned into everyone\u2019s mind:<\/p>\n

Here’s the story of a lovely lady
\nWho was bringing up three very lovely girls.
\nAll of them had hair of gold, like their mother,
\nThe youngest one in curls.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here’s the story, of a man named Brady,
\nWho was busy with three boys of his own,
\nThey were four men, living all together,
\nYet they were all alone.<\/p>\n

Till the one day when the lady met this fellow
\nAnd they knew it was much more than a hunch,
\nThat this group would somehow form a family.
\nThat’s the way we all became the Brady Bunch.<\/p>\n

God, is that burned into my mind. Oh, anyway.<\/p>\n

Last night, we went to see \u201cA Very Brady Musical<\/a><\/i>\u201d at Theatre West<\/a> in Hollywood. This is a musical that asks the question: With all those kids at home, when do Mike and Carol ever have the opportunity to play \u201cHide the Salami\u201d. Not sure what I mean? Well, I can\u2019t be more specific, after all, this is the Bradys!<\/p>\n

\u201cA Very Brady Musical<\/a>\u201d was a creation of the Sherwood Family. Sherwood Schwartz<\/a> was Executive Producer. The book of the musical was written by Lloyd J. Schwartz<\/a> (his son), and Hope Juber<\/a> (his daughter), with music and lyrics by Hope Juber and Laurence Juber<\/a> (her husband). So this musical really is in the spirit and style of the original, and does feel like an extended episode of the series that was never shown.<\/p>\n

The story roughly goes like this. In over 3 years of marriage, Mike and Carol have, ummm, have never consummated their relationship as a result of never having a moment when the kids aren\u2019t in the house. They are singing about this, in a cleverly entitled song called \u201cEuphemisms\u201d, when Cindy overhears them. Of course, being Cindy, she tattles about her parents being upset about something she didn\u2019t understand. It could be groceries (\u201cyou be my pickle, I\u2019ll be your jar\u201d), it could automotive (\u201cI\u2019ll be the garage where you park your car\u201d, it could be hot dogs (\u201cyou bring the hot dog, I\u2019ll be the bun\u201d), or even lunchmeats (the previously mentioned game of hide the salami). The kids decided they need more information, so Bobby uses his tape recorder to find out. When they play the tape, they hear Mike and Carol swearing and threatening each other (little did they know they were doing a reading for a PTA play, \u201cI Hate Your Guts\u201d). The kids decide their parents are getting a divorce (dun-dun-dun). In order to figure out how to solve the problem, they do what they always do: Ask Alice. She first sings them a song about confidence (\u201c”A cup of confidence, a sprinkle of hope, a dash of experience will help you to cope.\u201d) and gives them the idea to send their parents to Dr. Anonymous, a TV Advice Show.<\/p>\n

So, they set out to raise money. Greg has recently acquired his first car, which he is very proud of. He thinks lots of people will want to rent it out. In the song \u201cGreg\u2019s Car\u201d, better known by its key line (\u201cI have a Woody, My woody\u2019s hard to beat\u201d) he sings about his car, and how his Woody has never been used. (No, he doesn\u2019t get the entendre. He\u2019s a Brady). Marcia decides that her skill is dating, and seeing an ad for a service that permits her to date for money, she\u2019s all gung ho. After all, she\u2019s been a cheerleader, and knows how to do the splits, mounts, and dismounts, and once even took on the football team, against her brother\u2019s advice. Jan thinks she\u2019s useless, until Peter comes up with a magic show where he is Peter the Great, and she is Jan… the Jan. As for Bobby and Cindy, they decide to look for money in the sofa cushions. After finding none there, they go to the neighborhood park where a friendly panhandler teaches them a better way to find money: in other people\u2019s pockets (\u201cSeize the Opportunity\u201d). During all this, wheneven ever everyone is out of the house, Mike and Carol attempt to rendevous… but are constantly frustrated (as they say in TFOS<\/a>: Sex isn\u2019t funny. Frustration, now that\u2019s funny).<\/p>\n

Of course, the inevitable happens. Greg is arrested for bank robbery (he drove the getaway car after being seduced by Destiny). Marcia is arrested for prostitution. Peter and Jan are arrested for attempted murder (they used a real saw to cut a man in half). Bobby and Cindy are arrested for theft. All the kids are in jail… and Alice has her day off. Just what are two parents to do, especially given the bail hearing isn\u2019t until the following morning?<\/p>\n

In the end, of course, all the situations are resolved happy, with no stains on the permanent records. The kids are happy, Alice is happy, and the parents are, finally, happy. And Jan is happy that Marcia got arrested for prostitution.<\/p>\n

The show does a remarkable job of playing off the Brady stereotypes of wholesomeness and cheerfullness, especially in songs like \u201cGroovy Happy Sunshiny Day\u201d or \u201cMy Special Recipe\u201d. It also includes loads of references to the original TV series, such as all the stupid things the kids did. Certainly the older folks in the audience, and the folks that grew up with the Bradys in reruns, got the references. It was just a fun shows, not a Broadway experience.<\/p>\n

\"\"The cast did a very good job with this, especially with the overplaying that is necessary in the Brady universe. Mike and Carol Brady were played by John Cygan<\/a>\u00e6<\/sup> and Barbara Mallory<\/a>\u00e6<\/sup> (Lloyd Schwartz\u2019s wife). Cygan was great (and wore the requisite perm); Mallory was strong in the acting department, but weaker in the singing department and looked a bit old for the part. Greg Brady was Elliot Kevin Schwartz<\/a> (Lloyd Schwartz\u2019s son) was Greg Brady — he was a good actor and a strong singer. Marcia (Marcia, Marcia) was played by Erin Holt<\/a>\u00e6<\/sup>, who sang and acted very strong, and was a pleasure to watch. The middle kids, Peter and Jan, were played by Justin Meloni<\/a> and Laura Marion<\/a>: Meloni was OK, but I really enjoyed watching Marion — both her singing and expressions. The youngest kids were played by Adam Conger<\/a>\u00e6<\/sup> (who kept reminding me of my daughter\u2019s friend Bobby) and Kelly Stables<\/a>\u00e6<\/sup> (a pint-sized actress with Kristen Chenowith talent). Alice was played by Kathy Garrick<\/a>\u00e6<\/sup>, who was an extremely strong singer. Rounding out the cast, in a variety of character roles, were Roger Cruz<\/a>\u00e6<\/sup>, Matthew Hoffman<\/a>\u00e6<\/sup>, Selah Victor<\/a>\u00e6<\/sup>, and Claire Partin<\/a>\u00e6<\/sup>.
\n[\u00e6<\/sup>: Member of \"\u00e6\"\u00a0Actors Equity<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Theatre West is a black-box theatre. The set consisted primarily of a flat on a turntable: one side was the infamous Brady stairway that represented the house; the other side opened up in various ways to be a street, a hotel room, and the escort service office. Greg\u2019s Woody was another large prop. These were all designed by Joseph M. Altadonna<\/a> and Daniel Keough<\/a> (who appears to have been Lisa Marie Presley\u2019s hubby<\/a> before Michael Jackson), and were quite clever, assisted by Heather Alyse Becker<\/a> as Property Master and Richard De Siato<\/a> as Scenic Design\/Painter. Lighting was by Yancey Dunham<\/a>, who had a very funny bit with a spotlight and Jan. Choreography was by Paul Denniston<\/a>, assisted by Kelly Stables, with Laura Marion and Elliot Kevin Schwartz as Dance Captains. Costumes were by Diana Marion. The production was directed by Lloyd J. Schwartz with musical direction by the Jubers. It was produced by Matthew Hoffman, David P. Johnson, and Bonnie Kalisher. Theatre West is under the direction of John Gallogly.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Very Brady Musical<\/a>\u201d continues at Theatre West<\/a> until July 20.<\/p>\n

Next up on the theatre calendar is \u201cPest Control: The Musical<\/a>\u201d, described by Native Intelligence<\/a> as \u201cImagine Rocky Horror Picture Show meets Little Shop of Horrors. Now, throw in cockroaches, cloak & dagger CIA types, hitmen, a love story and lots of rock, rap and dancing and you\u2019ve got an idea of what you\u2019re in for with Pest Control, the Musical\u201d. It is based on the novel by L.A. crime writer Bill Fitzhugh in which a bug exterminator is mistaken for a hit man and hired to kill a South American dictator. We see this (its final performance) at the NoHo Arts Center<\/a> today at 3:00pm. Following that is \u201cA Chorus Line<\/a><\/i>\u201d @ Ahmanson Theatre<\/a> (Sat, 6\/28 @ 2pm), and \u201cThe Taming of the Shew\u201d<\/a> (Shakespeare in the Park) on Sun, 6\/29 @ 6pm in Hart Park<\/a> in Santa Clarita. July brings \u201cThe Drowsy Chaperone<\/a><\/i>\u201d at Ahmanson Theatre<\/a> (Sun 7\/13 @ 1pm), \u201cParade<\/a><\/i>\u201d at Neighborhood Playhouse, Palos Verdes<\/a> (Sat 7\/19 @ 8pm), \u201cLooped<\/i>\u201d at Pasadena Playhouse<\/a> (Sat 7\/26 @ 8pm), and \u201cSinging in the Rain<\/a><\/i>\u201d at Cabrillo Music Theatre<\/a> (Sat 8\/2 @ 2pm). I\u2019m still exploring tickets for \u201cSongs From an Unmade Bed<\/a><\/i>\u201d at Celebration Theatre<\/a> (perhaps 7\/5), as well as the Cal Phil<\/a> production of the music of Rogers and Hammerstein<\/a> featuring Suzanna Guzman<\/a> as mezzo soprano and Kevin Earley<\/a> as tenor on Sunday July 27 at 2:00p at the Disney Concert Hall<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many years ago, Sherwood Schwartz and Frank DeVol penned a little ditty that is burned into everyone\u2019s mind: Here’s the story of a lovely lady Who was bringing up three very lovely girls. All of them had hair of gold, like their mother, The youngest one in curls. Here’s the story, of a man named Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,28,1],"tags":[299,284,419],"class_list":["post-2879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","category-theatre","category-lj-xfer","tag-reviews-2008","tag-theatre-2008","tag-theatre-west"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2879"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9959,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2879\/revisions\/9959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}