by Tim Leininger

Savannah Stevenson, Paul Rescigno, Constantine Pappas, Molly Mode (Photo: Seven Angels Theatre)

            Seven Angels Theatre has kicked off its 36^th season with a new artistic director and a throwback musical comedy from the 1980s that many audiences may be unfamiliar with but deserves more recognition with Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s Lucky Stiff. The musical itself is delightful and the cast is equally so, but years of financial struggles for the company has made the design a bit of a mess. Directed and choreographed by Robert Mintz, Lucky Stiff is running through Oct. 12 at the theater at 1 Plank Road in Waterbury, Connecticut.

            Based on “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo” by Michael Butterworth, the slapstick musical comedy follows Harry Witherspoon, played by the new artistic director Constantine Pappas. Harry is a down on his luck shoe salesman who gets a surprise fortune after his Uncle Anthony Hendon (Rick Fountain) dies and bequeaths him $6 million in his will. There is a catch. Harry must fulfill his uncle’s dying wish to be taken as a corpse for a weeklong vacation to Monte Carlo. If he fails, the fortune goes to the Universal Dog Home in Brooklyn. Unbeknownst to Harry, he is being followed by Harry’s lover, Rita La Porta (Savannah Stevenson), who, with her reluctant optometrist brother Vinnie Di Ruzzio (Paul Rescigno) is trying to keep the money for herself because the money really belongs to her husband whom she has been cheating on with Harry. Also in pursuit is Annabel Glick (Molly Model), who represents the dog home to observe Harry in case he doesn’t follow the contract of the will to the letter. If he fails, then she can take him to court to win the money for the charity. There is also Luigi Gaudi (Zayaz Da Camara) another vacationer who takes a little too much interest in Harry and his activities.

Abby McGough (Photo: Seven Angels Theatre)

            Lucky Stiff is a frivolously fun little musical. This was Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s first major collaboration, and they keep the tone light. Even the more serious, dramatic moments are played for laughs, especially the gun wielding Rita, who is so blind, she couldn’t shoot a wall two feet in front of her. This is what makes Lucky Stiff so enjoyable. It’s not meant to be taken too seriously. Is there a plot? Yes. Is it complicated? No. Is it enjoyable? Well, that depends on the production.

            In Seven Angels’ case, the cast thoroughly enjoyable. The ensemble knows their objective with the musical, to make it as farcically silly as possible without going so overboard that it loses its charm, and achieves it. Constantine Pappas leads the cast as Harry, giving the role an affable, hopeful quality. As the straight man in a comedy full of broad characters, he never forces the character to be any bigger than he needs. He and Molly Model are cute together as a would-be couple…if there wasn’t a $6 million obstacle between their respective characters. Model gives Annabel a fervent drive, following Harry through thick and thin with dogged determination. Her performance of “Times Like This” where she pines over not having a dog around to comfort her while on this journey is adorable.

            The broader comedy strokes come from Vinnie and Rita. Their duet “Monte Carlo” — which is probably the first great song Ahrens and Flaherty ever wrote — about how she must get to the city to steal her stolen money back is hysterical. Their humor revolves around the power dynamic of Rita’s dominance and greed with Vinnie’s fear of getting killed by Rita’s husband, who believes Vinnie has stolen the $6 million.

Zayaz Da Camara, Constantine Pappas (Photo: Seven Angels Theatre)

            Credit must also be given to Rick Fountain who plays the deceased body of Uncle Anthony, who spends most of the show on stage set up in a wheelchair, being manipulated like a puppet, never moving except when moved, and staying perfectly emotionless through the whole show. Even his breathing was precisely managed so that his chest motions are almost completely unnoticeable.

            One major directing note is that there happened to be a lot of straight lines formed by the cast, causing an unnatural atmosphere in the blocking at times.

            As much as I enjoyed the cast and selection of Seven Angels’ first show of the year, one of the goals I hope Pappas has set for the near future is investing in the theater’s scenic design capabilities. The set felt rough, especially the four doors that are used throughout the show, sliding from one place to the next. They had trouble shutting and looked like one bad kick would cause them to fall apart. The upstage Monte Carlo platform, though having a good depth of scale, lacked detail that could be read from the audience.

            Lucky Stiff is a charming little musical comedy with a light, entertaining story, that doesn’t take itself seriously. Its music is bright, and detailed with color and the occasional challenging small ensemble number that foreshadows the more complex compositions of Ahrens and Flaherty to come in shows like My Favorite Year, Ragtime, and Anastasia. Though the theater needs to raise and direct more funding to its carpentry and scenic design department, the cast more than makes up for the lack of design quality with charm and balanced charisma, making Lucky Stiff a delightful two hours of musical comedy.

LUCKY STIFF

TICKETS: https://sevenangelstheatre.org/

PRODUCTION

Book and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens

Music by Stephen Flaherty

Based on “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo” by Michael Butterworth

Directed & Choreographed by Robert Mintz

Music Director: Aaron Benham

Production Manager: Craig David Rosen

Technical Director: Katrina Paul

Costume Designer: Thomas D. Gordon

Scenic Designer: David Goldstein

Lighting Designer: Sam Terrell

Scenic Painting: Melanie Nelson

Properties: Kyla Madore

Dance Captain: Paul Rescigno

Assistant Stage Manager: Sarah Rachel Katz

Production Stage Manager: Rafi Levavy

CAST

Constantine Pappas as Harry Witherspoon

Molly Model as Annabel Glick

Savannah Stevenson as Rita La Porta

Paul Rescigno as Vinnie Di Ruzzio

Zayaz Da Camara as Luigi Gaudi

Rick Fountain as The Dead Body of Anthony Hendon

Hailey Aviva as Landlady/Ensemble

Abby McGough as Dominique Du Monaco/Ensemble

Jonathan Zalaski as Emcee/Ensemble

Jonah King as Bellhop/Ensemble