But Georgie.... don't you know... you're a flaming homosexual?

"Queen Lucia," just opened up at Lifeline, is a funny little beast but very well done. I had a head cold and I still enjoyed it. That's high praise, that is.

It's not formally odd- it's a straight ahead musical in form, but it... well, it's about an English society woman, the titular Lucia, who is queen bee of a little town called Rizzom. (sp?) She's the most charismatic, has all the artistic authority, throws the best parties... and then this utterly fabulous opera singer buys a country home in Rizzom, and Lucia is toast. Furious toast. So you'd expect this to be a very hyped up Gilbert and Sullivan meets Earnest, Importance of... but it isn't. Not quite. It's a little subtler, and more emotionally icky, and it has one of those deflated in-between, bittersweet endings that are so disorienting in musicals... like the original ending of "Pippin" but not as much of a mind-fuck.* In musicals my gut always wants someone to die or get married, preferably both.

That's not to say it won't evoke happy G and S memories... lots of operettaish numbers, lots of great staging... a hilarious act one closer where Lucia sings your basic aria of revenge in the middle of a party. While people are doing a bunny hop. Choice. And did I mention the great staging? Those Lifeline people are superb at arranging actors on their itty little stage and moving them about during songs.

Ah- and the venue itself. Severe, severe rake. Stage looks like a postage stamp from up there. But I love it. Only heard a train one time.

Must to bed. Head cold rearing its awful... head. again.

*I realize this is my second Pippin reference in a month-old blog. I have neither excuse nor explanation.