Reviews

'Mermaids' swims through en route to Broadway

S. Earl Statler, Correspondent SB SUN

Article Launched: 05/25/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

Inland Empire theater aficionados and first-timers enjoyed an exciting experience as the historic California Theatre of Performing Arts hosted "Mermaids," the newly created and, hopefully, Broadway-bound musical.

Based on the hit movie starring Cher, Winona Rider, Christina Ricci and Bob Hoskins, the production showed that it's truly Broadway-quality material. Over the years, the San Bernardino venue has played host to a bevy of new musicals - "Carrie," "Zorro," "Annie Warbucks" - but this one has what it takes to go all the way to the Great White Way.

First of all, the book-turned- movie was creatively adapted for the "boards" by Theatrical Arts International president Joseph Henson and Anthony Rhine. Their wordsmithing had just the right amount of comedy, irony, pathos, love conflicts, passion and pacing.

New music and lyrics were inkedby Adrian Henson and brought a fresh pop-esque modern sound to the show.

Broadway director Jeffery B. Moss, after just completing Charles Strouse's new musical "Real Man," was flown in from New York to direct and stage "Mermaids." His creative direction kept the show's pace moving and his use of character juxtaposition added a touch of humorous depth.

Andy Ferrara's choreography added great dimension to the Henson brothers' music and book and put a smile on the face of many an audience member.

The story is narrated by 15-year-old protagonist Charlotte, played by the dynamic and effervescent Heather Provost. She demonstrated a mastery of her craft and stole the show.

Charlotte lives with her mother, Rachel, who she calls Mrs. Flax, and her 8-year-old sister Kate.

As Rachel, Tane McClure, outshines Cher's movie performance and brings a broader singing dimension to her character's musical musings.

McClure, who has starred in more than 40 movie and television productions, made her screen debut at the age of 4 opposite her father, actor Doug McClure. Talent certainly runs in the McClure family as a member of a third McClure generation, Kayla McClure Arendts, also is in the production.

The youngest member of the Flax family is Kate, portrayed by a remarkable young child actress, Melanie Abramoff, who holds her own with a strong stage persona and captivates your heart with her quirky charm.

The production also starred Barry Pearl as Lou Landsky, Rachael's love interest. Pearl made his Broadway debut in the original production of "Bye, Bye Birdie" and appeared on Broadway and in the national touring company of "The Producers."

The story is told in the first person as the Flaxes move into a new home near a convent. Set in the 1960s, it is a heartwarming and uplifting coming-of-age story that follows the turbulent relationship between a flamboyant, outrageous mother and her two daughters, who just want a normal and stable life.

The score includes many of the well-known songs from the original motion picture including "The Shoop Song (It's in his Kiss)," "Johnny Angel," "Baby I'm Yours," "You Really Got a Hold on Me," "Let's Dance," "The Shimmy Song," "If You Wanna Be Happy" and "Fever."

"Mermaids" was produced by Theatrical Arts International, which presents shows at the California Theatre and the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, and Plan-B Entertainment. Andy Ferrara was executive producer, while producing responsibilities went to Thomas Garcia, both of Plan-B, along with Allen Evenson of Theatrical Arts.

Theatergoers are lucky to have talented, locally honed producers like Henson and Evenson who can not only attract Broadway-class theater to San Bernardino, but also can create professional material to send to New York stamped "From California's Inland Empire."

San Bernardino has a big vision for its theater 10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, March 19, 2009

By JAMIE SHOOP BRAY | SPECIAL to THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

For more than 80 years, the California Theatre has dazzled San Bernardino with its wedding cake exterior and glitzy interior. Hollywood royalty -- from Clark Gable to Shirley Temple -- turned up for previews of films in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Legends such as Will Rogers took a turn on the theater's vaudeville stage. And the mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ stoked the drama in silent films.

Time wasn't kind to the historical movie palace as filmgoers flocked to newer, hipper cinemas in suburban malls and downtown went downhill. But a gorgeous facelift and a full slate of live performances has turned the California from dowdy dowager to dazzling debutante ready for her close-up.

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Ed Crisostomo/The Press-Enterprise

The California Theatre is stage to Broadway shows, classical music, contemporary acts and ballet.

"We're making sure that theater is lit up every week. We're starting to see results," said Emil Marzullo, executive director the city's Economic Development Agency, which now owns the theater.

By mixing up its offerings -- Broadway shows, classical music, contemporary acts, ballet -- the theater is drawing in a more diverse audience. "We're seeing people who have lived in this community their entire lives and never been in the theater," he said.

Big-ticket stars

Since October, the California has hosted a road-show production of "Rent," country artist LeAnn Rimes, the rock groups War and La Tierra, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and more. The eclectic mix will continue this spring with productions of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," "The Producers," comedian Bill Engvall, The Beach Boys, Los Lobos and the list goes on.

"A lot of companies do the same things over and over again," said Joseph Henson, producer with Theatrical Arts International, which manages the theater. "We try to ... keep it kind of fresh and new."

The theater's Broadway series has brought a new audience. The musical "Rent" brought fans in from out of state, Marzullo said.

As a result, the theater is doing well, with 10,000 season-ticket holders, Henson said.

Theatrical Arts International handles day-to-day operations of the theater and box office. World Wide Productions produces shows at the California. The theater is also home to the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra, Inland Dance Theater and the San Bernardino Concert Association.

But Henson credits EDA's involvement in programming with helping to diversify the audience. "We're genuinely developing a whole new audience," he said.

Booking more expensive acts such as country stars Rimes and the upcoming Montgomery Gentry has paid off, Marzullo said. "We're building a franchise to bring people back, and it costs money to do that," he said. He often asks residents for feedback on what they would like to see at the theater.

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Ed Crisostomo/The Press-Enterprise

California Theatre has undergone a renovation.

Allen Boney, vice president of the San Bernardino Pioneer and Historical Society, remembers as a child going to the movies at the California and other downtown movie palaces. With its high ceilings and opulent interior, the theater made a big impression on the youngster.

As an adult, he's returned for a few live shows. "I think the shows they have now are attracting people from all over," he said. "They're top-line performers. It's a pretty impressive place, not only for the type of performances they have but, for the nostalgia too."

Artists too are taking notice of the venue. Performers, like Joan Rivers, have called the refurbished theater "a jewel," Marzullo said.

Murals wrap the lighted exterior of the theater. Inside are more murals that mimic Edgar Degas' classic ballerina paintings. "It is almost the exact look of a Broadway theater," Henson said. "...It is designed in a way that no matter where you sit, it's an absolutely wonderful seat to see the show."

Work is under way to restore the theater's historical Wurlitzer Opus 610 pipe organ, one of only three left in the world and the only one that is still in its original location, Boney said. It still has its original wiring.

The organ will be unveiled in June, when the great-granddaughters of Will Rogers and comedian Harold Lloyd introduce a double bill of their famous forefathers' films. Marzullo would like to feature the organ in a Halloween double movie bill of the silent "Phantom of the Opera" and cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

Hollywood sparkle

This newest chapter in the theater's saga has been about 10 years in the making, when restoration work began.

But despite the improved amenities, the venue still had a perception problem to overcome. Once the retail and entertainment hub of San Bernardino County, downtown was now home mostly to government offices and banking. "At 6 o'clock you could look down any street and see no one," Marzullo said.

In June 2007, an Urban Land Institute panel study focused on downtown revitalization. The result was a block-by-block vision of a newly vitalized region.

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Ed Crisostomo/The Press-Enterprise

Murals mimic Edgar Degas' classic ballerina paintings.

And the linchpin of that is the California Theatre. "We decided the asset of the theater is something we can't replicate," he said.

The development agency also took ownership of the neighboring CinemaStar movie house when that business' developer went into bankruptcy. With the two theaters, the city plans to market the block as its theater district. The question remained: why won't people come downtown? "The answer is there's nothing to do," he said. No place to meet up before or hang out after a show. Most of the restaurants have closed or moved to Hospitality Lane. "There's not a 'tablecloth' restaurant in downtown," he said.

The city plans to develop that block of Fourth Street at E Street as its "theater district," he said. A one-acre public square next door will be the site of several restaurants, including a sit-down restaurant. Plans for the new development will be announced in coming weeks, he said.

The city has approved the sale of CinemaStar to the Maya Cinema chain. Maya CEO Moctesuma Esparza comes with some Hollywood sparkle of his own. He is a veteran producer whose films include "Selena," "Stand and Deliver" and Gettysburg."

"Their business plan is to build or buy and rehab theaters in urban areas," Marzullo said. The cinemas will include an IMAX screen theater.

He hopes that a revitalized downtown follows, block by redeveloped block. "In the next five years you'll see a pretty substantial change in the downtown," he said.

"The theater starts the rebirth of downtown."

Return to elegance

July 13, 2004

By CASSIE MACDUFF THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
{SOURCE:+}

The California Theater is one of downtown San Bernardino's success stories.

An orgy of demolition cost the city center many of its historic homes and public buildings, including the California Hotel, in the 1980s and '90s.

The 1927-built theater survived, but it had seen better days. Its carpeting was a garish orange print, its auditorium seating badly worn.

Once a Fox movie house, the theater's movie-palace graces were dressed down during the no-frills 1950s and '60s. The delicate stenciling on the walls and ceiling beams, for example, was painted over in a dark monotone.

But in 1997, under the auspices of the city Economic Development Agency and Theatrical Arts International, the California Theater began restoration to its former glory.

The carpets and furnishings were replaced or re-upholstered. Interior trim was painted gold. And Renoir-like murals were pasted on the walls.

The theater is poised to take another step toward elegance.

A long-unused upstairs anteroom - with arched windows and French doors facing the street - will be turned into a banquet room, available for rental to cultural groups and the public for meetings, lectures, weddings and the like.

The restoration is a pet project of Councilwoman Esther Estrada, former councilwoman Norine Miller and Mayor Judith Valles.

They had hoped the work, estimated to cost about $800,000, would be done over the summer so the room could be unveiled with the theater season this fall.

But the project had a setback this spring when it was discovered that the architect had been working from old structural drawings that didn't reflect where support beams and walls were actually built.

The primary problem was that the elevator - needed for handicapped access - couldn't be installed where the architect designed it, said Paul Guerrero, EDA assistant project manager.

But moving it seven or eight feet will allow the elevator to be installed behind the theater's management office, said Jerry Koston of Koston Construction.

The EDA hired Koston to probe hidden passages, take measurements and come up with an accurate set of plans.

The delay may actually have a silver lining, said Maggie Pacheco, EDA deputy director.

If the problem hadn't been discovered until the noisy, dusty construction began, the project still would have been under way when the theater season opened this September.

Instead, plans will be complete, and materials bought and stored, so construction can be launched as soon as the season ends in June 2005.

Freed from the compressed time frame, project designers also have been able to focus on niceties like a built-in sound system that will make the meeting room that much better.

The project is a worthy one. It will add another touch of class and charm to the historic theater building, and to downtown.

A suggestion: Don't cover up the room's spectacular vaulted ceiling with a dropped acoustical ceiling and false cupola as planned. Leave it exposed and paint the boards. People pay plenty for vaulted ceilings. Appreciate the ones you have.

One more: Don't cover the beautiful windows and French doors with mini-blinds. Lights shining from those now-darkened windows facing Fourth Street will cast a lovely hint of elegant affairs going on inside.

`Joseph' delivers a joyful biblical story

April 13, 2004

By SHERLI LEONARD SPECIAL TO THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
{SOURCE:+}

SAN BERNARDINO

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" wrapped its Inland run over the weekend on its way to the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Anyone at the California Performing Arts Theatre who didn't leave tapping their toes and humming a tune should count themselves among the comatose.

While the play itself will never rank among the great musicals, this production from Theatrical Arts International delivered pure and joyful entertainment.

"Joseph," Andrew Lloyd Webber's first musical, certainly lacks musical depth (every piece sounds essentially alike with a void of memorable tunes). Its opera style (all singing with no dialogue) offers no relief from the repetitious music, and it takes a few numbers before it really gets going.

However, once the biblical Joseph's erstwhile brothers take over with "Joseph's Dreams," the musical train takes off and never stops.

The brothers were way over the top with excellent singing; lithe and physical dancing; and hysterical melodrama. With impeccable timing and infectious enthusiasm, they whooped it up country-western style (masterfully led by Scott Drier as Rueben) in "One More Angel;" feigned their misery slapstick-style in "Canaan Days" (Alistar Tober as Dan was marvelous as the primary whiner) and celebrated in "Benjamin Calypso" (led with abandon by La Quin Groves as Judah).

As Joseph, Greg Kohout made believable transitions from a daydreamer to proud and defiant prisoner and later to a mighty and beneficent kingdom ruler. Throughout, especially when being cleverly tempted by sultry Jennifer Garrett as Potiphar's wife, Kohout remained sweet and endearing. His good but lightweight voice has limited range, but who cared: He is extraordinarily handsome and totally engaging and appealing.

Also totally appealing was Eric Martsolf, who with his hip-jutting, hair-smoothing Elvis-style brought the house down with his rock 'n' rollin' Pharaoh. With a Jim Carrey-like smile and a sparkling wink, he assured us we'd "be wise to agree."

Constant movement and multiple visual levels and textures from outstanding dancers and tight attention to detail took this production to the top. The not-so-subtle wives' costumes teased the eye, the prisoners slithered darkly along the floor, and the amazing coat set up clever choreography opportunities.

Some elements were questionable. Anne Johnston-Brown, as the narrator, dressed like a banker stepping out for an after-work cocktail party, sang unintelligibly throughout.

Also, the six-member instrumental ensemble needed greater numbers to adequately support the size of the production numbers.

Still, this show delivered unabashed entertainment.

2 guys keep patrons coming back

By CASSIE MACDUFF THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
{SOURCE:+}

Restoring the 1920s-era California Theater was part of a grand scheme by San Bernardino's Economic Development Agency in the mid-1990s to pep up the city's center.

The goal was a vibrant downtown day and night, seven days a week.

The new Caltrans building on Fourth Street would bring an influx of government workers to patronize downtown eateries and shops weekdays.

The CinemaStar movie theater, across the parking lot from the California Theater, would attract moviegoers day and night, seven days a week.

And the 1,719-seat theater would bring audiences downtown evenings and for weekend matinees.

To serve all those people, a host of restaurants, retailers and services would spring up nearby.

So far, that grand plan has faltered.

Government workers leave when their workdays are done. At lunch, they have limited choices among sit-down restaurants downtown. Many still head for Hospitality Lane, come lunch hour.

Two grassy lots intended for restaurants and shops, remain empty.

Against this disappointing backdrop, the California Theater -- since October 1997 under the management of Theatrical Arts International-- is living up to its promise.

Shows sell out consistently, and 95 percent of seats are filled by season ticket holders.

Four years ago, when the fledgling theater company took over, skeptics doubted it could succeed. (The San Bernardino Civic Light Opera had failed mid-season a few years earlier in the same building.)

The skeptics weren't counting on two audacious guys who would take the theatrical business rulebook and throw it out the window.

Joseph Henson and Alan Evenson gambled $300,000 of their own money to book national touring companies of popular productions into the Inland Empire.

The first year was rough. CLO had canceled 1996-97 mid-season, and people were leery of buying season tickets from a new, unproved company.

But with an original play, "Zorro Live," musical productions of "Titanic" and "The Christmas Box," and a tap dance review, the 1998-99 debut season ended with 3,000 subscribers signed on, Henson said.

The audience has built steadily since then. Today, 9,000 subscribe.

So how did Henson and Evenson do it? By giving people what they want. They set up a table in the lobby at every show and ask people what shows they'd like to see and what could be done better.

They discovered people want the same quality productions as in Los Angeles or on Broadway, without the travel.

They keep season ticket-holders coming back with extras like free hors d'oeuvres and valet parking.

They throw in little extras like packets of Kleenex for each audience member at "Phantom," and samples of Folgers latte during "Legend of the Dance."

They moved the box office, which had been off-site, to the theater.

Meanwhile, the building is gradually being restored to its former glory.

The city poured $160,000 into a new roof, wiring, retiled restrooms and comfortable chairs for the lobby. Gilding is being restored to the ornate decor. Impressionist murals have been added inside.

The pair -- who are not paid, only receiving the profits from their productions -- credit the city's Ann Harris with believing in them and getting the city to back them.

They say they feel lucky to come to work every day.

San Bernardino is lucky to have them.

 

Zone: SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY; EAST VALLEY

Miracle of the theater : Reinvigorating San Bernardino's Theatrical Arts International brings a stunned smile to organizers.

By Mark Muckenfuss The Press-Enterprise
{SOURCE:+}

SAN BERNARDINO

There's this smile that Joseph Henson just can't keep off his face.Three years ago, people were telling him he was nuts for trying to revitalize live theater in downtown San Bernardino. Tour promoters wouldn't return his phone calls. Agents, burned in San Bernardino in the past, were calling city officials to find out if he and his partner Alan Evenson and their company Theatrical Arts International, were for real.

Everyone knew that even if the theater weren't dead, in San Bernardino it was flatlining.

But Henson and Evenson not only have jump-started the heart of local theater, they've gotten it into top shape.

"I'm just blown away," Henson says.

Looking at the four-show season, which opens later this month with Liam Harney's "Legend of the Dance," Henson sees one "sold out" sign after another on the calendar. In fact, the only tickets available for the season's shows -- which also include "Phantom of the Opera," "Cats" and "Of Mice and Men" -- are for Thursday night performances.

"We had a three-year goal of 7,000 season tickets," Henson says. "We're at 8,400 subscribers right now and when all is said and done, we may be closer to 9,000. We're so happy it's unbelievable."

Henson is stunned to the point that he doesn't really know how to explain it.

"I've done theater marketing in San Bernardino for 12 years and I've never seen the response like this," says Henson, who has worked in both the San Bernardino Civic Light Opera and Riverside Civic Light Opera organizations. "I don't know, aside to putting it up to divine intervention."

It's not just the good economy, he says, noting that the trend hasn't been shared by other theater companies in the Inland Empire. His best guess is that his and Evenson's decision to give the public what it wants is paying off.

"We're trying to think about stuff, you'd really like to see," he says. "For next year, we're looking at Cirque de Soleil Millemaire. We're planning on bringing in the national tour of 'Ragtime.' "

Other possibilities include the musical "Chicago" and "The Rat Pack is Back" from Las Vegas, an impersonator show featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. look-alikes.

"Those could change, but it's close to being locked up," Henson says. "But if I were a theatergoer, those are shows that I'd want to see."

He also had a pretty good idea -- after taking a poll of the audience during last season's production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" -- that these were shows the public wanted as well.

But you can't always get what you want. The top request on the survey was the Rockettes.

"We tried to get them but they're not available," he says. "One of the other ones that we wanted but didn't get was John Williams. He has a contract with Hollywood Bowl that doesn't allow him to perform in this geographic area."

The way the company treats its patrons may also be a factor.

When people come to the California Theatre, he says, "You get free valet parking. When we first did that, people were like, 'What's going on?' Like there was a catch or something."

Once people get inside the theater, they find free hors d'oeuvres waiting.

"It's what I believe the people who spend a nice amount of money on these tickets deserve."

Besides their own four productions, Theatrical Arts International also manages the Main Street Inc. Concert Season. This year that season includes the dance production "Carnaval," the musical "Legend of the Arrowhead" and Rita Moreno in a one-woman show.

Henson says he and Evenson are trying to decide whether to beef up the Main Street series, or focus on expanding their own offerings.

"We're already looking at expanding to eight (performances per show) next year," Henson says. "We believe that by the time 'Phantom' opens, we'll have scheduled eight shows."

Despite the quick success his company has enjoyed, Henson says he's trying not to let things go to his head.

"I don't think we're necessarily deserving of accolades," he says. "When we've been here for 45 years, like (Civic Light Opera) was, and have made a contribution to the community, maybe then. But we're still young as far as this community goes."

So, for now, Henson will just keep wearing that grin.

Award-winning 'Rent' runs high on passion : MUSICAL: In a show celebrating life, the best moments are the quieter ones.

By REBECCA FOREMAN SPECIAL TO THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
{SOURCE:+}

SAN BERNARDINO

"Rent" -- the latest touring show to visit San Bernardino's California Theatre courtesy of Theatrical Arts International -- is a raunchy, raucous, high-energy, high-decibel and entirely wonderful celebration of love, life and courage.

Jonathan Larson's 1996 Tony award-winning musical (loosely based on "La Boheme") chronicles a year in the lives of a group of rootless "bohemians;" artists, musicians and street people, who band together to form their own community in New York's Lower East Side.

The show begins on Christmas Eve. Mark (David Oliver Cohen), an aspiring filmmaker who spends his life behind a camera, and his roommate Roger (Kevin Spencer) are faced with eviction by their landlord, Benjamin (Matthew S. Morgan), a former friend who married rich and bought the industrial building they illegally inhabit.

Mark's old friend, Tom Collins (Bruce Wilson Jr.), phones, but his call is cut short as he falls victim to a mugging. Angel (Justin Rodriguez), a free spirited cross-dressing street performer, helps Tom. The two, who are both living with AIDS, form a strong bond.

As Mark takes his camera out to the streets, Roger, an HIV-positive musician, stays alone, trying to write one great song before he dies. Roger is interrupted by his neighbor, Mimi (Krystal Washington), who asks him to light her candle. The two fall instantly in love.

Recognizing that Mimi is a junkie, Roger rejects her, but relents when he learns she shares his disease. Mark's ex-girlfriend, Maureen (Jordan Ballard), a performance artist, stages a protest to try to save Mark's building with the help of her new lover, Joanne (Bridget Mohammed). Eventually, Benjamin relents -- infuriating Roger by suggesting that Mimi, Benjamin's ex-lover, prevailed on him.

As the year goes on, relationships unravel, and everyone is hurt or disillusioned in one way or another. But by the following Christmas, almost everyone is healed and redeemed by the power of love.

Although the plot sounds trite in synopsis, Larson's score adds depth and beauty, creating endearingly human characters.

This production features a professional, young cast who all perform with passion. Washington is particularly stunning as Mimi, singing and dancing with breathtaking skill, and Rodriguez is sweet and heartbreaking as Angel.

The volume is pumped up for much of the show, (older patrons may want to bring earplugs) with lots of rocking, in-your-face numbers, including the title song. But the best moments are the quieter ones, including Angel and Tom's love song "I'll Cover You" and the life-affirming ensemble piece "Seasons of Love."

Seductive side of 'Chicago' shines: MUSICAL: While there are no stars, the singing and dance numbers capture the audience's attention.

By REBECCA FOREMAN SPECIAL TO THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
{SOURCE:+}

SAN BERNARDINO

Temperatures may be dropping in the rest of the Inland Empire, but the mercury is rising at San Bernardino's California Theatre, where Theatrical Arts International is presenting a touring production of Bob Fosse's steamy musical "Chicago, The Musical."

Actually, this isn't really Fosse's show, it is the 1997 revival version of the 1975 musical by Fred Ebb and John Kander, which was originally choreographed by Fosse, and re-choreographed by Ann Reinking. But Fosse protege Reinking recreated the show in Fosse's image, and her choreography remains faithful to his unique style.

And make no mistake, "Chicago" is all about dance. The storyline -- Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, two small time chorus girls, commit brutal murders and use the resulting publicity to create new showbiz careers -- is based on a 1926 play by Chicago Tribune reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins. But the slight plot, and Kander and Ebb's clever songs, take a back seat to Fosse/Reinking's throbbing, seductive choreography, which defines the show.

There is much to like about this production. Gorgeous, limber young dancers perform Fosse's trademark slinky, boneless, highly erotic routines flawlessly. Good vocal moments are contributed by big-voiced Allison Tilsen as the corrupt Matron "Mama" Morton, by Stewart Brown as Roxie's pathetically forgettable patsy of a husband, Amos, and by Jay Joseph as slimy defense attorney Billy Flynn. S. Baird provides campy comedy in the falsetto role of Mary Sunshine, a "sob sister" reporter.

One weakness in the show is that it was originally developed as a star vehicle, which poses challenges for young performers who have not yet achieved that status. Heather Parcells and Kellyanne Wilson, as Velma and Roxie, rise to the challenge quite well, although their "showcase" numbers ("Roxie" for Wilson, and "I Can't Do it Alone" for Parcells) seem a little pointless and flat.

The major problem with Chicago -- if it can be called a problem -- is that it seems to be all sex and no heart. Despite the amusing songs and really wonderful dance, the show's unrelenting tongue-in-cheek celebration of nastiness can begin to wear thin, and leave the audience with a cynical, bitter taste. Presumably, this is exactly what Fosse intended and he accomplished it splendidly.

`Miss Saigon' deals with cultural gaps

By SHERLI LEONARD SPECIAL TO THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
{SOURCE:+}

Just four days after the 29th anniversary of the 1975 fall of Saigon to the communist North Vietnamese army, the musical "Miss Saigon" will open Tuesday at the Pechanga Theater at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula.

The national touring company is presented by Theatrical Arts International of San Bernardino.

"Miss Saigon" tells a story of cultural misunderstandings that lead to individual tragedies.

It projects the heart of Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly" into modern history.

An American GI serving in Vietnam has a relationship with a young Vietnamese girl, the GI returns to the United States, the girl has his son and waits hopefully for his promised return for her.

The play was written by the creators of "Les Misirables," Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg, with lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr.

Opening in London in 1989 and on Broadway in 1991, "Miss Saigon" won three Tony Awards and several international awards. It has been performed more than 19,000 times.

In a review after the 1991 opening, Gannett Newspapers wrote, "Miss Saigon has the most richly melodious scores heard on Broadway in two decades."

In a sleazy bar (optimistically named "Dreamland") during the final days before the North Vietnamese took over Saigon, two American GIs, John and Chris, meet Kim, a young girl fresh from the country who is competing in the bar's nightly Miss Saigon contest.

As Chris falls for Kim, he decides to spend his last few days in Saigon with her.

Unlike "Butterfly's" sexist and casual Pinkerton character, "Miss Saigon's" Chris has deep compassion for Kim.

A flashback scene in the second act shows Kim and Chris trying to connect as he is flown out by helicopter while she is detained by guards.

After his return to America, believing Kim is dead, Chris marries Ellen, and he, Ellen, and John try to normalize their lives. After three years, Chris learns that Kim is alive. With Ellen and John, he goes to Bangkok, where Kim has taken refuge.