Five Course Love
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Lambert, Shelton, Carothers
Photo by Shashin Desai
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By Ben Miles
This production, which made its debut at the Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, New York, during the summer of 2004, moved onto Off-Broadway's Minetta Lane Theatre a little more than a year later. With book, music, and lyrics all created by Gregg Coffin, and under the light directorial touch of caryn desai (sic), Five Course Love is now having its Southern California premiere at Long Beach's International City Theatre, through July 15.
The premise of Love is cut from the same theatrical cloth as the venerable musical comedy I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. Like Perfect, Five Course Love consists of a series of vignettes, each taking place in a specialty restaurant. There are five scenes, two-dozen song and dance routines (choreographed by Brian Paul Mendoza), a three-piece band (musical direction by Janice Rodgers Wainwright), and three actors portraying, in total, fifteen characters.
Of course, each scenario is underscored by the cultural implication of the cuisine being served. For instance, in scene one we're taken to Dean's Old Fashioned All-American Down-Home Bar-B-Que Texas Eats--where we witness a first-date encounter orchestrated to such boot-scootin' rhythms as "Jumpin' The Gun" and "I loved You When I Thought Your Name Was Ken." The tune changes, however, when we visit Trattoria Pericolo. This Italian eatery is the venue where a mafia hit-man attempts to hit-it-off with a distraught damsel. Here the stylings are more sinister, with titles such as, "If Nicky Knew," and the follow-up, "Nicky Knows." For the third scene, we go German, as we look in on an unfolding and unexpected encounter at the Der Schlupfwinkle Speiseplatz. Here we are made privy to ditties with commanding sounding monikers like, "Der Bumsen-Kratzentanz" and "No Is A Word I Don't Fear."
The last two scenes about would-be Lotharios take place in Ernesto's Cantina--where we hear "The Ballad of Guillermo," as well as "The Ballad of Me," among other south-of-the-border sounds--and The Star-Lite Diner, where melodies harkening back to the 50s, such as "Hey Cupid" and "Love Looking Back At Me," reign.
In a 2005 interview with broadway.com, playwright Gregg Coffin mentions how Five Course Love is an attempt "to look at all the different ways that love can elude us." Meanwhile, intent on composing a comedy show, Coffin admits "to dealing in very broad stereotypes…" Nevertheless, thanks to desai's delicate direction, including a fundamentally funny set design (Dan Wheeler), and varied yet sturdy characterizations by the trio of thespians--Christopher Carothers, Perry Lambert, and Jennifer Shelton (a knockout performer)--Coffin's musical works in accordance with his goal. The comedy seems inherent, with the stereotyping innocuous enough to be inoffensive.
Five Course Love plays at the International City Theatre, in Long Beach, June 15 - July 15, 2007--Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. For reservations, dial (562) 436 - 4610. For further information, visit www.ictlongbeach.org.
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