Dames At Sea

Dames At Sea is a parody of the 1930 Hollywood movie musicals. It features, among other things; Ruby, a poor, naïve girl from Utah turning up in New York intending to become a Broadway star; Joan, a wise-cracking chorus girl; Dick, a sailor who is also an aspiring song writer and Mona, a temperamental diva. When Mona becomes ill during the opening night of the show, which is, of course, taking place on a ship, Ruby steps in to save the show and become a star. Naturally, Ruby and Dick fall in love and get married and everything happens within a twenty-four period. The music is a mixture of parody and pastiche with some genuine new songs. This production, part of the American High Schools Theatre Festival, is great fun. The singing is of a very high standard throughout and the dancing is excellent. Costumes are very authentic for the period and Mona’s dresses are stunning. There is a one minute intermission to enable the scenery to be changed from a Broadway Theatre to a ship and for Mona to change into a new dress. During the brief break a girl carrying the intermission sign slowly tap dances across the stage, a nice touch.Part of the joke with this musical is that despite parodying huge, lavish productions, it is supposed to be played with a small cast, on a small stage and with little orchestration, as is the case with this production.The San Francisco School of the Arts is to be congratulated for bringing over such an enjoyable production.