`MORE CRAZY TUNES' OFFERS SPIRITED NOSTALGIA TRIP.Byline: Daryl H. Miller Daily News Theater Critic Just for the fun of it, let's compare the titles of some popular songs from the '20s, '30s and '40s - featured in the lighthearted light·heart·ed adj. Not being burdened by trouble, worry, or care; happy and carefree. See Synonyms at glad1. light new revue ``More Crazy Tunes'' - with those of some current radio hits. From the past: ``It's Hard to Tell the Depth of a Well by the Length of the Handle on the Pump,'' ``When Old Bill Bailey Plays His Ukelele u·ke·le·le n. Variant of ukulele. ,'' ``Henry's Made a Lady Out of Lizzie,'' ``Keep Your Undershirt On'' and ``Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet.'' From the present: ``You're Makin' Me High - Let It Flow,'' ``Counting Blue Cars,'' ``Keep on, Keepin' On'' and ``Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart.'' Which are weirder? Your call. Yet while the new songs may sound unintentionally strange, that was the whole point of the old novelty songs - wacky tunes that were meant to bring a smile to faces furrowed by the cares of Prohibition, the Depression and war. They're still good for a few yuks, especially as they've been compiled in an engaging production at Center Stage in Woodland Hills. ``More Crazy Tunes'' is a sequel to the long-running Valley hit ``Crazy Words, Crazy Tunes,'' with a new lineup of songs performed by five singer/dancers (three women, two men) and a pianist. In a breezy hour and 20 minutes (including intermission), they revisit about three dozen songs, from such little-remembered oddities as ``I've Never Seen a Straight Banana'' to such lingering favorites as ``Caldonia,'' ``Shoo-Fly-Pie,'' ``Mairzy Doats'' and ``Rag-Mop.'' The staging - which includes dances from the Charleston to the jitterbug jitterbug Dance variation of the two-step in which couples swing, balance, and twirl in standardized patterns to syncopated music in ⁴⁄₄ time. It originated in the U.S. in the mid 1930s and became internationally popular in the 1940s. - is fairly workmanlike work·man·like adj. Befitting a skilled artisan or craftsperson; skillfully done. workmanlike Adjective skilfully done: a neat workmanlike job Adj. 1. , but in the final analysis that's just fine, since these songs pretty much sell themselves. The numbers are performed in front of a giant Philco radio (its grille functioning as a silver-streamered stage entrance) and black-and-white collages of vintage sheet music covers. Songs are grouped largely by subject matter - names (``Caldonia,'' ``Minnie, the Mermaid''), places (``Jersey Bounce,'' ``Hello, Hawaii''), food (``Prunes,'' ``I've Never Seen a Straight Banana'') and so on. Double-entendres abound, as in the lyrics to ``Trick in Pickin' a Chick,'' which has nothing to do with feathery feath·er·y adj. 1. Covered with or consisting of feathers. 2. Resembling or suggestive of a feather, as in form or lightness. feath little barnyard creatures. Highlights include ``Red, Red Robin,'' performed by a pair of birds (Kayre Morrison and Susan Cardillo, wearing plastic beaks) who coo over a he-man robin, and ``Pico and Sepulveda,'' a company number in which a family of vacationers cruises Los Angeles' byways, combining street names and landmarks into a half-spoken/half-sung verbal collage. J.C. Murad falls hard for a big lug (1) (Linux Users Group) A formal or informal organization of Linux users who gather together virtually or in person to exchange information and resources. Some groups maintain mailing lists and send out newsletters for their members. of a guy in ``I Love Me,'' Michael Rotondi uses his silky baritone to describe his favorite kind of gal in ``Red Hair and Freckles freckles Ephilides Brown macules, often exacerbated on sun-exposed zones of the skin surface, which disappear during the winter, and most commonly affecting the fair-skinned, especially of Celtic stock. See Macule. Cf Nevus. ,'' a sultry Morrison looks to lasso lasso (lăs`ō, lăs  `), light, strong rope, usually with a smooth, hard finish, made of a fine quality of hemp or nylon. a cowboy in the loping country/jazz rhythms of ``Cow-Cow-Boogie,'' and the women (Morrison, Cardillo and Nancy Osborne) sing ``Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen'' in Andrews Sisters-style harmony while Rotondi accompanies them on trumpet. THE FACTS The show: ``More Crazy Tunes.'' Where: Center Stage, Woodland Hills Village shopping plaza shopping plaza Noun a shopping centre, usually a small group of stores built as a strip , 20929 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills. When: 2 p.m. Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays; indefinitely. Running time: One hour, 20 minutes; one intermission. Tickets: $10 to $17. Call (818) 761-5520. Our rating: Three Stars. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion