VA-VA-VOOM TO VICTOR/VICTORIA
The story of Victoria who becomes Victor impersonating Victoria has been around for a while. It started as a 1933 German film. Then writer/director Blake Edwards (Pink Panther) made a hit movie of it in 1982 starring his wife, Julie Andrews. It featured several songs by Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse. It was such a hit that next he adapted it into a Broadway musical which opened in 1995 with Andrews once again playing the lead (she was succeeded by Liza Minnelli and Raquel Welch, either one which would have justified buying a new ticket!). Mancini died before he completed all the new songs that were planned for the stage production so Frank Wildhorn wrote both words and music to complete the score. Now it has a whole new life with the intimate spectacle (forgive the oxymoron) that Palm Canyon Theatre (PCT) is currently presenting in their production of Victor/Victoria.
The theatre managed to land Christine Tringali Nunes to play Victoria. She has been around the Valley for quite some time but only rarely chooses to appear on stage. She played the lead last year in Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, a lesbian-centric comedy. I first saw her perhaps seven years ago as the lead in Next to Normal and still distinctly remember her skill. All of her performances have been outstanding and I believe that if she were willing, she could consistently play leads in local theatres. She acts and sings delightfully, and is a feast for the eyes as well. Her low voice when she’s playing Victor probably wouldn’t fool anyone, but it’s perfect here because we are in on the charade.
And just as big a treat is David Brooks who is in virtually every show at PCT, musical or otherwise. Here he plays Toddy, the role delightfully originated by Robert Preston in the film. His is the first face we see, alone on the stage. He starts “Paris by Night,” a song which introduces the locale. I have never particularly liked the song but Brooks makes it compelling. He’s funny throughout the show and a great counterpart to Victoria.
The third standout is Se Layne who plays gangster King Marchand’s (Rob Kreisinger Denk) girlfriend, Norma. Layne’s comedy skills and her figure is displayed to its fullest, and that’s saying something. She plays Norma as a dimwitted broad with one purpose in life, and she has been brought to Paris to share that purpose with Marchand. With platinum blonde hair and va-va-voom outfits, Layne is hilarious. She has a Bronx accent delivered with a high voice, punctuated with an almost constant laugh that conjures up fun in the bedroom. Her “Paris Makes Me Horny” is a standout, and her dancing in “Chicago, Illinois” is first-rate.
Actually, under the direction and choreography of Derik Shopinski, the entire company is strong. The performance runs without slowing down, with set changes made quickly by the cast, and I found myself eager to see the next development.
The set concept that PCT has used for most of their recent multi-location musicals is full-stage projections, crafted by Nick Edwards, and set pieces designed by co-Artistic Director J. W. Layne. For instance, in a black out we see actors roll on a bed and a sofa – pretty boring stuff. But when the lights come up, a projection shows us that we are in Toddy’s cramped apartment. The projection is realistic and the furniture pieces add a third dimension.
The one set that is completely built is two adjoining two-story rooms in a hotel. Lot’s of funny business goes on because Victoria and Toddy share one room while King Marchand and his bodyguard Squash (Darin MacLeod) share the other. Early in the second act there is a five-minute routine where people go through doors including a door between the two rooms, travel up and down the stairs, hide behind the sofas, in closets and under the beds. A maid and butler join in the action with the principals. It is so precisely paced that it produced nonstop laughs.
As always, Nick Campbell is spot on with his sound design and operation, including sound effects like a face being punched. The timing is so good that it’s easy to believe the actor has just been walloped.
My one beef would be the staging of “Le Jazz Hot,” the biggest number from the film where Victor, the supposed female impersonator, shows why he’s the toast of Paris. In PCT’s staging he/she spends most of the number sitting on a piano all the way stage left while the ensemble does an enthusiastic dance number across the middle of the stage. Eventually, Victor stands in front of the group and leads them in a few simple steps but his costume is the same color as the ensemble’s so he certainly doesn’t take the ownership of the number that he should.
Music Director Robert Ollis is a new name for me but the musical elements sounded great. He also skillfully accompanied the performance at the piano (and occasionally an electronic keyboard that sounded like an accordion). He has some big shoes to fill, and I’m glad to report that he fills them very well. He is joined during performances by Larry Holloway on bass and Jim Watson on drums.
I have seen this show on a large stage but loved the intimacy of this production which made it feel fresh again.
photos by Ethan Kaminsky (Kaminsky Productions)
Victor/Victoria
Palm Canyon Theater, 538 North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs
Thurs at 7; Fri and Sat at 8; Sun at 2
ends on April 6, 2025
for tickets ($17-$38), call 760.323.5123 or visit PCT
