THEATRE: CASA VALENTINA

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CASA VALENTINA

For once, I absolutely have to tell you the plot of a show I’m reviewing, to be able to discuss all the aspects of it. Casa Valentina is about a group of male cross-dressers who regularly meet at their safe haven–a bungalow colony in the Catskills, New York in 1962. The setting and story are based on a place that really existed back then. We’re privy to fourteen hours of their lives, and they pack a lot into that brief time.

Robert Mammana, John Vickery, Valerie Mahaffey, Raymond McAnally, and James Snyder. Photo by Jim Cox, as is the big one at the top.

Robert Mammana, John Vickery, Valerie Mahaffey, Raymond McAnally, and James Snyder. Photo by Jim Cox, as is the big one at the top.

To be completely honest with you, things that I don’t understand, (like calculus and the Kardashians,) make my head hurt. So, though I definitely recognize the many merits of this play, it’s not exactly my cup of tea.

As someone who’s never wanted to be anything other than myself, (except maybe Mrs. Hugh Jackman,) this whole topic is hard for me to understand.  The play does attempt to explain it a bit, but not enough to really get my brain wrapped around it. One part that just won’t compute for me is the true fact that one of the men runs the inn with his wife. I, myself, am a pretty understanding girlfriend, but if Mr. X came home and changed into a dress and heels, I can tell you that the next time I saw him, he’d be cold and horizontal, and I’d be dressed in black.

Robert Mammana and Valerie Mahaffey.  Photo by Jim Cox.

Robert Mammana and Valerie Mahaffey. Photo by Jim Cox.

But, oh, how I loved that revolving, several-tiered Tom Buderwitz-designed set!!! Growing up Jewish in Brooklyn, one would think that I had been to the Catskills many times. But, (with no judgement on it,) that’s one experience I had only once, courtesy of a friend’s family. And, when I was little, I visited relatives in a bungalow colony only two more times than that! (I was busy having much more fabulous summer adventures all over New England.) But, being a major fan of old movies, I knew immediately that this unbelievable set was spot-on. (And yes, even the green phone is correct. I really didn’t think they had colored phones in 1962, so I actually did research to find-out! I was shocked to discover that they had colors back then.)

Robert Mammana, Valerie Mahaffey and Nike Doukas.  Photo by Jim Cox.

Robert Mammana, Valerie Mahaffey and Nike Doukas. Photo by Jim Cox.

Even though Casa Valentina is at least three-quarters a comedy, there’s a lot of angst and strife here. No matter how much wise-cracking, nor making each other over, these men do, their plight cannot be fun. And much of the tension of the story comes from figuring out just where in society they fit in.

Even though it’s set in such an uptight period in our history, and humanity has come so far since then, here’s something interesting: in these extremely open times of hearing and reading about all things LGBT, there seems to be one group that still gets hardly any publicity–transvestites.  I’m not talking about people who do it for a living, such as drag queens; I mean heterosexual men who feel their best while dressed as women, as film director Ed Wood infamously did.  And, if this show is taken for reals, they refer to each other as “she.” I could not imagine having to live such a secretive double life.

Robert Mammana and Valerie Mahaffey. Photo by Jim Cox.

Robert Mammana and Valerie Mahaffey. Photo by Jim Cox.

My friend, Marilyn, who saw the play with me, commented that she feels that Casa Valentina has an important message.  I myself am not quite sure just what that message is, but it seems to me to be about tolerance. It shows us another way of life that I’d assume most of us are not familiar with. The more subtle lesson is about separating transvestites from homosexuals.

We both, I guess erroneously, assumed that cross-dressers are gay, or want to be the other sex.  The play tries to clear those notions up a bit. (The press release even mentioned that this was a group of “heterosexual men.”)

But all that is about the story. Let’s get to this actual admirable presentation at the Pasadena Playhouse. It’s the West Coast premiere of the Broadway play, written by prolific actor/playwright, Harvey Fierstein.

Raymond McAnally and James Snyder.  Photo by Jim Cox.

Raymond McAnally and James Snyder. Photo by Jim Cox.

Marilyn could not get over how well-done this production is. (But I, being a regular at the theatre, never expect anything less from them.) The entire company is excellent; I cannot single-out any one actor. That fact alone shows how important the story is. They each just tell it, without getting in the way, nor making it about his own performance, which is a pleasure to witness. (In other words, no one is Nathan Lane-ing it.) [Note: I love him, but this show is not La Cage aux Folles.]

The second act is definitely the stronger of the two, and opens with a bang. Or maybe I just got used to the whole concept by then. Each man’s journey to this place (both the Casa itself, and in life) unfolds just a little bit more. I think that a few minutes into that act, I actually forgot about the weirdness of the situation, and just felt for each human being.

Casa Valentina may not be the laugh riot I was expecting, but there are myriads of excellent lines, which definitely made-up for my lack of constant chuckling. I adored the many Oscar Wilde quotes that are peppered throughout.  One that gave me an especially hearty laugh is, “Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same.”  Brilliant!

Lawrence Pressman,Valerie Mahaffey, Mark Jude Sullivan, James Snyder, Christian Clemenson, and Raymond McAnally.  Photo by Jim Cox.

Lawrence Pressman,Valerie Mahaffey, Mark Jude Sullivan, James Snyder, Christian Clemenson, and Raymond McAnally. Photo by Jim Cox.

It seemed to me that the opening night audience reacted with the most raucous laughter to the lengthy scene where the “girls” give the handsome newbie a make-over. (I added the “handsome”; I don’t know if that was part of the narrative or not, but how could one not notice the good looks of James Snyder, who portrayed him?) That whole scenario reminded me of what I did for my gal pals in my fourth, (and final,) college.  They were primarily country bumpkins, (who I’m praying don’t read this!,) and I was already an L.A. glamour girl, whom nobody in our clique really understood. But one night, before we had a girls’ night out, they all let me do their make-up. In truth, it did look almost as out-of-place on those fresh-faced honeys as it did on the males in this play, but their boyfriends were all thrilled!!!

James Snyder's profile--look at that perfect nose!

James Snyder’s profile–look at that perfect nose!

On a very shallow note, (one that I’m sure the characters in the play would be pleased with,) I absolutely loved James Snyder’s perfect profile.  If ever I break down and have rhinoplasty, his is the picture I’m bringing with me. What a gorgeous nose that is!

Actually, while we’re on James, my thoughts on him go along with one of the themes of the play, which is that you can’t figure someone out by the picture they’re presenting at any given moment. The second I saw his lovely visage in this show, I recognized him as Idina Menzel’s love interest in the recent Broadway hit, If/Then.  But when I saw that musical, even though he played a totally straight guy, I found myself wondering if he’s gay in real life, (which he is definitely not!,) not because he seemed like he is, but rather because he was in a musical, sings beautifully, and is so good-looking.  (He also looks a bit like John Barrowman, who is gay, openly.)  Now, here James was, in this play, wearing a dress and make-up, and I found myself wondering if he’s straight!  I feel like that was one of the lessons that the narrative was trying to teach us—to not judge someone by all these outside notions.

I rarely laud a curtain call, but I must this one, especially because I wanted to see the three men who kept their alter-egos going throughout, as themselves.  So, it was a powerful choice to have them come out in white bathrobes, sans wigs and make-up.  And it was an interesting touch to have the only two real females in the cast be similarly-attired.

Part of the display.  Photo by Karen Salkin.

Part of the display. Photo by Karen Salkin.

On a side note, I think it would be fascinating to track down any of the men who actually lived this experience; being that it was fifty-four years ago, some of them might still be alive. I would love to know what happened in their lives after these fourteen hours, wouldn’t you?!

You can see some pictures of those real-life men, and read auxiliary commentary about “Gender Identity Through The Ages,” in the wonderful exhibition in the little museum room that is off the courtyard in front of the Playhouse.  Ironically, it’s the least flamboyant of their recent displays for other shows. But please do not miss it! And do yourself a favor and make time to read it all, including the picture book, Casa Susanna, which depicts the real place this play is based on. It might be helpful to check it out before the show. I’m just sayin’.

Casa Valentina running through April 10, 2016
Pasadena Playhouse 39 South El Molino Ave. Pasadena 626-356-7529 www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org

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