Cape Cod Performing Arts

"No Way to Treat a Lady" slays the audience on opening night

Musical comedy about a maniac with mommy issues plays through July 9th

   Left to right: Bradley Dean and Judith Blazer in No Way to Treat a Lady at the Cape Playhouse. Photo by Kathleen A. Fahle.

By Maggie Kulbokas

The Cape Playhouse is on a roll with their second show of the season, No Way to Treat a Lady, running now through July 9th.  No Way to Treat a Lady is a dark, and funny musical about a serial killer on a rampage in New York City.  It may sound strange to use the words "funny" and "musical" to describe a story about a cop trying to catch a cold-blooded killer, but it really works.

No Way to Treat a Lady is a story about good boys, bad boys, and the women who shape their lives.  The book, music and lyrics were written by Cape native and award-winning author/composer, Douglas J. Cohen.  Cohen was in the audience at last night's well-received performance.

The musical was based on the 1964 novel of the same name by William Goldman.  Goldman's novel was originally made into a motion picture in 1968 and starred Rod Steiger and George Segal.

No Way to Treat a Lady tells the story of Christopher "Kit" Gill, an unsuccessful actor turned serial killer with mommy issues, and the NYPD detective on his trail, Morris "Moe" Brummell.  Brummell is a Jewish bachelor, who still lives with his overbearing mother, in the shadow of his successful brother the doctor. 

The detective leads a rather unexceptional existence, and yearns for a way to make a name for himself.  His goal is shared by an unlikely person, a serial killer seeking  notoriety and attention from the police, the press and the city at large. The killer phones Moe one day and the two begin a taunting game of cat and mouse that results in a strange dependence on one another.

Moe's plan to track and eventually trap the killer is temporarily waylaid when he meets a beautiful, rich society girl who lives in the apartment building of the first victim. Woven into the main story of cop vs killer are two subplots--what made Kit a killer and Moe's relationship with his mother and his new girlfriend.

Set in 1970s New York City, the stage design by Charlie Corcoran is both impressive and versatile. Towering brownstones and the steel bridge girders, gave the set a realistic urban feel.  Spinning corners are the front of the stage effortlessly switched the action from exterior to interior scenes.  A cleverly placed corral for the orchestra fit perfectly in the backdrop eliminating the need for an orchestra pit in front of the stage.

Effective lighting by Christopher S. Chambers, allowed for multiple scenes at one time.  Mark Shanahan's direction and Jennifer Waldman's choreography kept what could have become utter chaos, fluid and orderly.

The cast of four (portraying seventeen characters!)--Bradley Dean as the killer, Josh Grisetti as the cop, Stacie Morgain Lewis as the socialite and Judith Blazer as everyone else--were wonderful.  Blazer's transformation from an elderly victim to an overbearing Jewish mother to the several other characters she portrayed during the show was effortless and impressive.

Cohen's songs are fast and funny, although the humor at times is a bit cliché.  The idea of an upbeat ditty about a strangler may sound a bit off-putting--but it works. No Way to Treat a Lady is both dark and energetic. It may be no way to treat a lady, but it's an entertaining and fun way to treat an audience.

No Way to Treat a Lady runs now through July 9, Monday through Saturday at 8pm with matinees on Wednesday and the second Thursday at 2pm and the first Saturday at 4pm.  The Cape Playhouse is at 820 Route 6A in Dennis Village. Tickets and ticket subscriptions are available at the box office at 508-385-3911. Coming up next: The Graduate starring Patricia Richardson.

Spend an evening in Dennis with Lucille Ball

Giving Lucy and Desi their due

By Maggie Kulbokas

The curtain opened in Dennis tonight for the 85th season of the Cape Playhouse.  The season, which looks to be an entertaining one, got off to a nostalgic start with an "Evening with Lucille Ball: Thank You for Asking", a one woman show that brings Lucy, America’s beloved radio, television and film star, back to the stage.

The show features Suzanne LaRusch as Lucille Ball during a 1974 actor’s workshop in a California auditorium. In 1974, Lucy was 63.  She had a number one radio show, three successful sitcoms and over 70+ films including the at that time, soon to be released, "Mame", under her belt.  Lucille Ball, the actress is there for a Q&A. The audience is there to see Lucy Ricardo. But where does the character end and the actress begin?

Suzanne LaRusch as the one and only Lucille Ball. Photo courtesy of the Cape Playhouse.

The show is a series of memories woven together with images from Lucille Ball’s life and scenes from "I Love Lucy", one of the most popular television sitcoms of all time.

"An Evening with Lucille Ball" is an unabashed tribute to the talented redhead, conceived by LaRusch, the "Official Lucy Performer" since 1998. The show is based on a series of interviews with Lucy, stories from people who knew her and material from the Lucy and Desi's own autobiographies. 

"An Evening with Lucille Ball" was co-written by Suzanne LaRusch and Lucille Ball’s own daughter Lucie Arnaz.  Arnaz, who was at the show this evening and the guest of honor at a reception at the playhouse Sunday, is an award winning actress who began her acting career on the "Lucy Show" opposite her mother, directs the show as well.  Perhaps it is that very personal connection that gives the show its true heart.

But this isn’t just an ode to America’s favorite redhead—it is a tribute to Desi too.  As Lucy points out during the Q&A, the show may have been called "I Love Lucy", but Desi was always the "I" in the title--the one with top billing. And while remembering Desi, Lucy gives the upbeat show its only misty moments.

For the most part, the two-hour show, with one intermission, is funny, sweet and uplifting.  It is sprinkled with stories about Lucy’s childhood and the road to celebrity.  It is interesting to hear what one of the funniest women on the planet thought was funny and who her comedic role models were.

We all have our own favorite "I Love Lucy" skits (I like when Lucy locks herself in the meat freezer in the basement) and it is a treat to learn the story behind the scenes we’ve come to love over the years.

LaRusch’s voice is uncanny.  She does a remarkable job of matching Lucy’s trademark twang and laugh.  She resembles Lucy with the help of a shock of auburn hair, but if you close your eyes, you would swear you were actually listening to the classic radio program "My Favorite Husband"—the predecessor to the "I Love Lucy" television show.

Stage design is minimal save for a director’s chair, a small table and a prop or two.  Leaving the spotlight directly on Lucy—exactly where it should be. 

"An Evening with Lucille Ball: Thank You for Asking" runs through June 25, Monday through Saturday at 8pm. Matinees are on Wednesdays and the second Thursday at 2pm and the first Saturday at 4pm. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 508-385-3911 or online here. 

The opening show is followed by a roster that is sure to please including "The Graduate" starring Patricia Richardson of "Home Improvement" fame and "Footloose". 

The Cape Playhouse is at 820 Route 6A in Dennis.