It's the Housewives @ Whitefire Theatre ~ 13500 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA ~ (818) 990-2324~ Through October 12th
Hold onto your Swiffer, it's another show about Housewives!!
Hope Juber, daughter of Gilligan’s Island and The Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz, has finally given birth to her love child of 27 years with husband Laurence Juber and co-writer Ellen Guylas. The musical comedy, “It’s the Housewives!” opened to sold-out audiences this past weekend at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks. Under the direction of Kelly Ann Ford, the show starts in present day and through flashbacks, tells the story of a trio of singing housewives who went from performing at a PTA Talent show to an international singing sensation; think ‘Desperate Housewives meets Dreamgirls. Rebecca (Terri Homberg-Olsen) begins the show in her kitchen, taking the audience, along with her plumber (Vince Cefalu), on the journey of how it all began when she was a younger mother named "Becca."
The three singing housewives, played by Corinne Dekker (Lynn), Jamey Hood (Becca), and Jayme Lake (Lexie), give versatile, sharp performances with great chemistry between them. All are strong vocally, and aided by the witty choreography of Kay Cole, every image and nuance of the lyrics is delivered with a clean sweep. Jamey Hood shines especially in her solo number “Erica, You Bitch”, the show’s ode to soap-opera addiction.
The real star of the show is the writing. The musical numbers, ranging in genre from '50s do-wop to rap and punk rock, all have cleverly written lyrics ('be my baby...sitter"'), performed with gusto and precision. This allows the audience to skip to the rhythm of the story's conundrums and hyperboles, without missing a beat. The audience in turn responded consistently with high-spirited laughter and energy; favorites were clearly, “Spotless Love”, “Ironing Bored,” and “It Started with a Kiss.” Colorful sets by DC 2 and outstanding costumes by Sharell Martin outline this sparkling production, produced by Racquel Lehrman of Theatre Planners.
“It’s the Housewives!” isn’t a political feminist statement. So you won’t see any references to Hillary or what’s her name from Alaska. It’s an hour and 45 minutes of zesty performances, catchy tunes, and a lot of fun. The daily juggling act in being a housewife is expressed in the music, so in that sense, pain is turned into pride at last.
The transitions in between present day and flashbacks could run smoother. The story line also suffers a little as to how the band broke up, but the show’s high-energy and creativity even made me want to settle down and have a baby; or adopt one Angelina-style. Forget ‘air-guitar, after watching this show, it’s all about ‘broom-guitar’.
