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Serrano, the Musical
Reviewed by Neal Weaver
The Matrix Theatre
Through March 29
RECOMMENDED:
If you thought Serrano sounded remarkably like Cyrano, you were on the right track. This musical, with book and lyrics by Madeline Sunshine and score by Robert Tepper, sets out to transpose Cyrano de Bergerac to NYC’s Little Italy, and combine it with The Sopranos.
Cyrano becomes Serrano D’Angelo (Tim Martin Gleason), a sensitive and romantically minded mob enforcer. He’s secretly carrying a torch for pretty Rosanna Spumoni (Suzanne Petrela), even though he’s convinced that no woman will ever love him because of his prodigious proboscis. Meanwhile, the mob boss Don Reyo (Peter van Norden) has problems of his own: he must not only fight off his rival Don Malafonte (Matthew Henerson), but he has two troublesome children. Daughter Lily (Valerie Perri) is a hot-to-trot tramp, and son Nickie (Chad Borden) is the gay proprietor of a drag bar.
When an affiliated mob boss is indicted and scheduled to come to trial before a tough judge, Don Reyo is the designated fixer. He’s going to import pretty boy and minor mobster Vinnie Pepperini (Chad Doreck) to seduce and compromise the judge’s daughter — who just happens to be pretty Rosanna. But Vinnie is callow, shallow, and profane, while Rosanna loves music and poetry. So Serrano is ordered to make a gentleman of Vinnie, and facilitate the seduction of his own secret love. What’s worse, Rosanna has fallen for bad-boy Vinnie.
Sunshine’s book provides ample opportunity for a varied array of music numbers by setting the piece at the annual Feast of San Gennaro, with its tarantellas and street dancing. Nickie leads his transvestite chorus, the Dishy Tarts (Craig McEldowney, James Tabeek, and Tom G. McMahon) in a couple of numbers, and there are dancing monks and tangoing mobsters. Sunshine also introduces most of the major scenes from Cyrano: the balcony scene, the letter scene, and the famous Nose Speech, which becomes an ensemble number and the finale of Act 1.
Tepper’s live and energetic score ranges from clever comedy to the lyrical. Gleason and Petrela deftly perform the more romantic numbers, while Doreck wins over the audience handily with his high energy and flamboyant, sexy but dumb-bunny character. Perri scores in three separate roles: as the Don’s daughter Lily, Rosanna’s earthy mother, and a profanely hard-belting Nun. Borden puts on the glitz in Nickie’s two numbers, and the versatile ensemble all nimbly take on multiple roles.
With Joel Zwick’s brisk, inventive direction, Peggy Hickey’s choreography is witty and exuberant, complimented by Jeff Rizzo’s expert musical direction. Set designer Stephen Gifford provides an aptly cartoonish Italian flavor with his red, green and white set, and Michael Mullen’s costumes range from the modest to the spectacular and outrageous.
The Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Avenue, W. Hlywd.; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m.; through March 29. (323) 960-7774, www.serranothemusical.com.
