What I liked
See above! The voices. The energy. The use of space. Lighting/musical cues & sound efx. The characters. A weighty subject delivered with a deft touch!
What I didn't like
Some of the lines got swallowed & couldn’t quite fully be heard/comprehended up due to staging/placement dynamics & lightning speed delivery!
My overall impression
From the moment I read the title of this clever, thot-provoking, rapid-fire & robust unlikely musical I couldn’t stop from cracking a broad smile & beyond. A talented, fluid ensemble cast pokes fun and causes one to consider the cultural changes in society that took place starting with 1940s-50s television and the obsessive, pervasive, hypnotic effect it had on an unsuspecting public who embraced it like candy to a baby. Dizzying factual info is dispensed while trying to get to the bottom of what actually happened to Lucille Ball’s beloved sidekick & fall gal from long-running series I Love Lucy. But its far more that that!
Innovative and effective audio/musical devices performed on-stage in real-time create punctuation allowing the audience to ponder & at least partially digest what they’ve just witnessed only to be instantly re-engaged in the present rollicking moment.
Hilarity ensues masking a subliminal dark side casting a spell that still continues. This musical has catchy, meaningful tunes & the potential for a full-scale theatrical production. The writing is smart. Hats off to creator-director John Wuchte, skilled composer Michael Teoli, & the creative, winning cast of Vivian Vance is Alive & Well Running Chinese Take-out. Don’t miss this worthwhile, fun & eye-opening fresh musical! This one could go places! ~b 🌿
