![\"(L-R)](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/TBN_A222-Alexandra-Mitchell-Stefan-Alexander-Miller-Kevin-Gino-ph-Ed-Krieger.jpg\")
<\/a>(L-R) Alexandra Mitchell, Stefan Alexander Miller, and Kevin Gino. Photo by Ed Krieger, as is the big one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n
Let me tell you, Tenor By Night<\/em> does not leave even one stone unturned! This show has absolutely everything<\/em>: music, comedy, drama, mystery, singing, dancing, an evil magician, acrobats, an unbelievably stunning hand balancing act, a bit of three beautiful famous operas, and even a mannequin fashion show and singing luggage!!! I could not catch my breath between the many surprises.<\/p>\n The show can best be classified as a musical fantasy, which was inspired by the real<\/em> life of playwright\/composer James Chiao, who wrote both the book and<\/em> the songs. Quite an achievement, especially for this being his first time at either<\/em> art!<\/p>\n James Chiao on the left, greeting some fans before the show. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Jeanine and I met James before the show, (because he so pleasantly walked around the lobby in a jacket-less tuxedo and greeted everyone possible,) and he\u2019s adorable. So happy and enthusiastic. And his speech after the curtain call was equally charming. You can\u2019t help but root for this man. I only wish that he had also sung<\/em> for us a bit!!! (Maybe, after reading this, he\u2019ll do it for the final two shows this week!)<\/p>\n So, I\u2019ll let you discover the fictional<\/em> tale for yourselves, but the true<\/em> story it\u2019s based on is that James and his wife came to SoCal from China, and while he owned a successful mannequin-making company, he practiced his opera singing at night. The show kind-of makes jest of all that, but in real<\/em> life, James went back to school at the age of sixty-five<\/em> and got an MFA in music! (Which proves, once again, that it\u2019s never too late for many things in life.) That\u2019s where he began his journey with the writing of the songs for this show.<\/p>\n How brave am I to have stood this close to these mannequins in the lobby? Good thing they’re colorful! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I have to tell you that I almost passed on seeing Tenor by Night<\/em>, (which would have been a shame for me,) because it\u2019s full<\/em> title is Mannequin Man By Day, Tenor By Night<\/em>, and I\u2019m sort-of terrified of mannequins! I went to its opening night solely because I knew it was important to somebody that I be there. But when I was very little, I saw a scary TV show about mannequins that literally scarred me for life. So not only did I have to face my fears to see this show, but there was a giant mannequin head on stage for the duration, which creeped me out more than a little bit.<\/p>\n But the musical is sooo<\/em> entertaining that I kept forgetting the head was there, and I\u2019m so glad I saw it because the entire audience loved Tenor By Night<\/em>! And several among us were not shy about loudly commenting on the story…as it went along<\/em>! (That actually made it even more<\/em> fun somehow.) Jeanine told me the next day that she kept \u201cthinking of funny things in the writing,\u201d as did I.<\/p>\n Kevin Gino. Photo by Ed Krieger.<\/p><\/div>\n Part of that mirth is because several of the songs are very clever. For example, Keep Your Day Job<\/em> is actually a line that a stranger said to the author when he was singing in Yosemite, and in turn is what made James write this whole show to begin with!<\/p>\n The three main actors, Kevin Gino, Lauren Han, and Andrea Somera, all have beautiful voices. When I heard Kevin sing tiny pieces of three famous opera classics, such as La Donna e<\/em>\u00a0Mobile<\/em> from Rigoletto<\/em>, I didn\u2019t want him to stop! (And I do not usually even like<\/em> opera!)<\/p>\n Kevin Gino. Photo by Ed Krieger.<\/p><\/div>\n The absolute highlight of the show for me is Junru Wang, the surprise hand balancer\u00a0in the second act. I\u2019ve never seen anything like her so up-close and personal, and I was even in a circus myself! (Don\u2019t ask.) I found myself wildly applauding for her, like a little kid. I loved, loved, loved that number! How refreshing to see something as spectacular as that included in a musical<\/em>! And also how lucky for this musical to have a former Cirque du Soleil performer, (and China\u2019s Got Talent<\/em> winner!,) come out and do this for them! I guarantee that you\u2019ll be as wowed by Junru as I was. [Note: I hadn’t read the program yet, so while she was performing, I did not<\/em> know about her winning CGT<\/em>. But the whole time I was watching her, I kept thinking that she has got<\/em> to be on America\u2019s Got Talent<\/em> next year! You know that I\u2019ll<\/em>\u00a0be voting for her!]<\/p>\n And let me tell you how lucky we are to have this new musical in the very comfortable El Portal theatre! It has the look of a big-budget show, beginning with the beautiful luxurious programs, and continuing throughout the entire presentation, from the very many interesting costumes to the size of the ensemble to absolutely everything<\/em> we see on that stage, and most notably, to the wonderful orchestra made-up of a baker\u2019s dozen of all excellent musicians, along with their conductor, Charles Fernandez; their perfect touch really brings all the music to life.<\/p>\n Lauren Han and Kevin Gino. Photo by Ed Krieger.<\/p><\/div>\n There is one confusing element to the show, though. The characters of James and his wife Lily make mention of the fact that they\u2019ve been married for thirty<\/em> years, but they both look like they\u2019re only thirty-years-old! Now that you know about it in advance, I advise you to just go with it, and not get distracted by that one thing.<\/p>\n Aside from that bit, which actually just made me smile, there is only one tiny weakness with the entire production, and that is that the cast is not the best dancers, which is highlighted by the simplest choreography I\u2019ve ever seen in a show of this magnitude. But I was struck by just how graceful all<\/em> of the ladies\u2019 hand and arm movements are. Some more accomplished dancers lack that beauty, so I was very pleased to see it here.<\/p>\n I do<\/em> have to admit that it takes a minute to get into it, but Tenor By Night<\/em> is an easy, uncomplicated show, which I love because it\u2019s so easy to follow. And there\u2019s no pain involved.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>