By Khalida Sarwari
With a potent combination of tap dancing, catchy songs and laugh-out-loud comedy, West Valley Light Opera’s latest production,”Dames at Sea,” is meant to transport audiences back to the elaborate, flashy Busby Berkeley era of movie musicals.
Written by George Haimsohn, Jim Wise and Robin Miller, the award-winning musical comedy and part-parody tells the story of a song-and-dance sailor who saves a Broadway show and helps a hometown girl find stardom and love, according to the show’s producer, Liz Dale. The show kicks off at the Saratoga Civic Theater on March 12.
When it turns out that the theater where the Broadway show is set to take place has been sold and is scheduled for demolition, it is moved at the last minute to the deck of the sailor’s battleship, which is anchored in the nearby docks. Set in 1940s-era Manhattan, the show explores the various stages of relationships, from falling in love to reconnecting with an old flame.
This is WVLO’s second go at “Dames.” The first time the company staged it was in 1998, Dale said. So when the show’s creators sat around and brainstormed ideas for its next spring production, “Dames” was the popular choice. “It had been a long time since we’d done it, and we needed something that was a fluffy type of show, which is what this is,” Dale said.
The 21-member cast is led by Janice Englegau, who plays Ruby (originally played by a very young Bernadette Peters), Minna Rogers, who portrays Mona, and Nick Dale and Richard Portune, who play the sailors.
The musical comes with a score that includes such ditties as “Raining In My Heart,” “Dames at Sea,” “Wall Street” and “Star Tar.”
“It is a very big tap show,” Dale said. “All the numbers are really very big. The choreographer has done some very imaginative stuff with it.”
Originally staged off-off-Broadway in 1966, it was made into a movie five years later starring Ann Margaret and later enjoyed two successful New York revivals. In October of last year, the show finally premiered on Broadway.
Formed in 1964, WVLO is a local nonprofit that offers theatrical productions under the guidance of experienced play directors. The company performs three Broadway-type musicals each season at the Saratoga Civic Theater.
“Dames” opens with a champagne opening night reception at 8 p.m. on March 12 and runs through April 9. Tickets are $20 to $34 and can be purchased online at wvlo.org or at the door. Opening night tickets are $36.
The show runs about two hours, including a 15-minute intermission.
For more information, call 408.358.1896.
