What: Red, Hot Cole!
Where: Roxy Theatre
When: To Aug. 13
Rating: Three stars (out of five )
In the contest for America鈥檚 best songwriter, Cole Porter is one dazzling contender (although Irving Berlin was certainly no slouch).
Especially popular in the 1920s and 鈥�30s, Porter seemed to have had it all: a knack for ear-worm melodies, the ability to pen funny, witty and sometimes heart-breakingly poignant lyrics.
So when it comes to staging a musical revue, knocking on Mr. Porter鈥檚 door is a safe bet.
Victoria鈥檚 Blue Bridge Repertory makes its own visit with the premi猫re of Red, Hot Cole! 鈥� an enjoyable new romp featuring solid performances grafted to a rather ho-hum script by Darcy Evans, who also directs.
The good news first: The ever reliable Sara-Jeanne Hosie is in fine form here. Blessed with a rich, velvety contralto, she sang powerfully and well on Thursday night. This despite torrid temperatures in the theatre that gave a new meaning to the phrase 鈥渞ed hot鈥� (a word of advice: bring a fan and a bottle of ice-cold water).
Hosie is also a good actor, able to convincingly lock into moments of tenderness (In the Still of the Night) and the goofiest comedy moments, such as her funny inebriation routine during the song Friendship.
In Red, Hot Cole! she鈥檚 paired off romantically with Kholby Wardell, another bright spot in this two-hour show.
Like Hosie, Wardell is a singer who knows how to act. He was responsible for two of the evening鈥檚 highlights. There was a lovely, unpretentious reading of I鈥檝e Got You Under my Skin. And Wardell 鈥� a light tenor 鈥� also offered a moving, heartfelt interpretation of another Porter classic, Night and Day.
The other romantically linked pair in the show is Jennifer Gillis and Jacob Woike.
Gillis is a sparky performer bringing a sassy pizzazz to the stage 鈥� at one point, she does a hip-swinging dance on top of the bar. At times, her timbre in the high register thinned out, bordering on shrillness; yet overall, Gillis adds a welcome vivacity to the mix.
Woike is a tall, handsome fellow who had his moments, although at times there was a pitchiness to his singing, particularly the high notes.
The storylines of musical revues tend to be silly. That said, this narrative is much sillier than most. There鈥檚 some Hallmark movie tension between Hosie and Wardell over a high-school yearbook (don鈥檛 ask). Meanwhile, Woike is a doctor who can鈥檛 bring himself to say the words 鈥淚 love you鈥� to Gillis.
Imbuing the story with a little wit and irony (which is certainly present throughout Cole鈥檚 lyrics) would have lifted this show to a much higher level. We saw tantalizing traces of this during Too Darn Hot, during which Wardell campily mixed martinis and manipulated faux cigarettes in a most amusing manner. Oh well.
A musical trio led by pianist Brad L鈥橢cuyer provided solid accompaniment. Unfortunately, the band is somewhat hidden by an upright piano 鈥� a grand piano would have improved sightlines and added a dash of glamour. A 1930s-style set by Brian Ball is simple, yet effective. And Graham McMonagle鈥檚 costumes are imaginative and elegant.
If you鈥檙e looking for frothy summer fun, Red, Hot Cole! provides a light night at the theatre.