`FELLA' A MOST HAPPY SUCCESS.Byline: Victoria Giraud Special to the Daily News ``The Most Happy Fella,'' now on the boards at Conejo Players, is one of the best musical efforts I've seen them perform, from the excellent voices and choreography to the staging and the ingenious sets. The revolving sets were the masterwork mas·ter·work n. See masterpiece. of director Dick Johnson Dick Johnson may refer to:
Tommy Johnson (1896 – November 1 1956) was an influential American delta blues musician who recorded in the late 1920s. . It's an old saying that if the sets are mentioned, the production's no good, but that's far from the truth. With few spoken words, this comical yet sentimental play about an older Italian immigrant grape rancher that falls in love with a younger woman could well be called light opera. Tony, the exuberant Napa Valley Napa Valley, Calif.: see under Napa. Napa Valley greatest wine-producing region of the United States. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 2990] See : Wine rancher (Lloyd Allen), falls in love with a waitress in a restaurant during a trip to San Francisco. Too shy and insecure to acknowledge his interest, he writes a love letter on the menu to his Rosabella (Sarah Corley), leaves her his amethyst amethyst (ăm`əthĭst) [Gr.,=non-drunkenness], variety of quartz, violet to purple in color, used as a gem. It is the most highly valued of the semiprecious quartzes. tie clip instead of a tip, and asks her to write to him. Flattered that someone desires her although she doesn't remember him, the young but streetwise street·wise adj. Having the shrewd awareness, experience, and resourcefulness needed for survival in a difficult, often dangerous urban environment. Rosabella decides to write and not long after makes the journey to Napa to marry her pen pal. But she finds that the photo of Tony is in reality the photo of his handsome, young foreman, Joe (Richard Hawkes). When the overanxious o·ver·anx·ious adj. Anxious to an excessive degree. o  ver·anx·i Tony gets in a serious car accident on the way to the train station to fetch Rosabella, she feels guilty and decides to marry him despite her misgivings. She gradually begins to love him, despite his interfering sister Marie (Sue Ouellett), and their relationship blossoms despite a possibly devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. piece of news. A feel-good musical comedy, the play is filled with down-home folk like Doc (William Clark), the Postman (Arnold Fadden), and the likable pushover push·o·ver n. 1. One that is easily defeated or taken advantage of. 2. Something that is easily done or attained. See Synonyms at breeze1. Herman (James Harlow), who falls for Rosabella's waitress friend Cleo (Randy Ryder). Among the musical highlights were the humorous harmonizing trio of Pasquale (Vince D'Andrea), Ciccio (Eric Adams) and Giuseppe (James Kaspert) singing ``Abbondanza,'' the rousing men's chorus rendition of the classic ``Standing on the Corner,'' and the enthusiastic rendering of ``Big D'' (Dallas) by fellow Texans, Herman and Cleo. The rest of this lively cast includes: Matt McGee, Tom Waters, Ken Endress, Mark Fagundes, Shawn W. Lanz, Heidi Neilson, Anthony Silk, S. Krystal McCauley, Michael Ramirez, Erin Bordofsky, Rob Schneider, Erin O'Keefe, Michael Murnoch, Natalie Lieberman, Kyle Tkatch, Matthew Lindgren, Megan Stewart, Mary K. Kay, Christine Gibson, Murl Caswell, and Tom Hand. THE FACTS WHAT: ``The Most Happy Fella.'' WHEN: 8 p.m., Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 13. WHERE: Conejo Players, 351 S. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks. COST: $8 on Thursdays, $10 on Fridays, and $12 on Saturdays. INFORMATION: (805) 495-3715. CAPTION(S): box BOX: THE FACTS (see text) |
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