DIAMOND HEAD THEATRE
Isabelle Decauwert and Laurence Paxton play lovers in a game of deception.
It's the singers, not the songs or thin stories, that stand out in Diamond Head Theatre's production of "Romance, Romance," a fluffy musical comprising two one-act tales of lust and deception. Singers add substance
to fluffy tales of lustReview by John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com
Artistic director John Rampage, doing double duty as director and choreographer, builds the show on the formidable talents of Laurence Paxton and adds Isabelle Decauwert, Gary Masuoka and Sherry Chock Wong to yield a fine, frothy wartime diversion.
"Romance, Romance": Presented at Diamond Head Theatre 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays through April 6. Tickets are $10 to $40. Call 733-0274.
Act 1 ("The Little Comedy") is a predictable story in the style of "Love American Style." A wealthy Austrian aristocrat (Paxton) grows bored with women attracted only by his good looks, wealth and position. He goes out on the town dressed as a poor man, apparently to see if he can score on the strength of his looks alone. He picks up a pretty but poor seamstress (Decauwert) and falls in love with her, unaware that the "seamstress" is a well-off prostitute who's on the rebound from her most recent stint as a wealthy man's mistress. That wealthy cad, Emil, had the nerve to dump her before she could dump him!
The premise of "The Little Comedy" is explained in narration that represents the text of letters written by the two players to their best friends -- his in Italy, hers in Paris. The action is played out as broad melodrama, and much of the humor is derived from knowing that the two players are bragging about their masquerade, not knowing that each is being fooled by the other.
There's a scene in which the aristocrat, pretending to be an impoverished poet, writes to his friend that he had no idea how difficult it is to write poetry. In another, the two "impoverished" lovers suffer through a "romantic" getaway in bug-infested lodgings.
Paxton, who played a perfect 19th-century gentleman in DHT's 2001 production of "Jekyll & Hyde," gets to camp it up this time. He may not have been considered a comic actor earlier, but he demonstrates a command of comic material in addition to strong vocal work.
ACT 2 ("Summer Share") consists almost entirely of a conversation between "best friends" Sam (Paxton) and Monica (Decauwert) who have married others but now find themselves tempted to take their friendship beyond the platonic stage.
The two couples are sharing a summer house in the Hamptons. It's the middle of the night and their spouses are asleep. Sam and Monica cuddle on the couch, drinking, and inch closer to a physical relationship as the night wears on.
Paxton shows his flair for physical comedy in a scene in which he uses a bottle as a "microphone" while impersonating a rock singer. He also handles the serious moments with skill. "Words He Doesn't Say," an insightful look at why relationships lose luster, is particularly well sung, employing subtlety and finesse.
Decauwert brings a powerful voice to both her roles and has the strongest songs, "The Night It Had to End" in Act 1 and "How Did I End Up Here" in Act 2. Neither is the type you'd hum while leaving the theater, but each makes a powerful emotional statement.
The most interesting aspect of the musical is the way playwrights Barry Harman (book and lyrics) and Keith Herrmann (music) use a second couple to add a surreal dimension.
Gary Masuoka and Sherry Chock Wong perform primarily as dancers whose movements embellish the action in Act 1, but they both shine in secondary comic roles. Masuoka plays Emil; Wong is charming as Josefine's ditsy maid and is memorable in a short scene with Paxton.
Masuoka and Wong have larger roles in Act 2 as a chorus of two commenting on the situation. Will their spouses resist temptation? "Think of the Odds" and "Small Craft Warnings" express their concerns. Wong and Masuoka make the most of these showcase numbers, interpreting them with power and conviction.
Masuoka is consistently entertaining as an ambitious, upwardly mobile executive who's sure he'll have time to be romantic as soon as he makes partner. Wong's performance as Barb ensures that we see Sam's angelic wife as the most vulnerable and blameless of the four; Barb's response to unpleasant news is summarized in Wong's beautiful duet with Paxton, "Let's Not Talk About It."
Wong and Masuoka brought down the house on opening night when they came out with a cane and a walker, imagining how their spouses will look in old age. The choreography and costumes contributed to one of the best numbers in the show.
Donald Yap (musical direction) gives consistent support, although unfortunately there was a problem with microphones buzzing on opening night. Patrick Kelly's economical set rotates to suggest several sites in Act 1, becoming a single residence in Act 2.
Ultimately, neither vignette offers enough substance to touch the heart. Little is risked or gained when two bored people deceive each other as in Act 1, and though we understand why Monica may feel neglected by Lenny in Act 2, the issues that separate Sam from Barb remain too enigmatic to generate sympathy for Sam. So "Romance, Romance" plays out as a farce followed by a long look at three empty relationships.
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