Post-pandemic, most San Diego theater companies have trimmed their production budgets as they work to gradually recover their audiences.
Shows these days are smaller in size, scenery is less ornate and some theaters have replaced live musicians with pre-recorded tracks. As a critic, I understand these necessities, but I also relish seeing shows that pull out all the stops.
Last week, Coronado Playhouse opened “Nine, The Musical,” a lavish production with a cast of 19, elegant scenery and an orchestra that includes a cellist, a violinist and a woodwinds player. The multimedia production is cleverly directed by Blake McCarty, the singing — coached by music director Richard Dueñez Morrison — is excellent across the board, and the costumes by Tammy Molenaar, are extensive and nicely in period.
The 1982 Broadway musical by Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston was inspired by Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini’s surrealistic, semi-autobiographical 1963 film “8 1/2.” It’s the story of a filmmaker named Guido who’s struggling with writer’s block on his next screenplay so he plumbs his own messy life for creative inspiration.
Hiding out with his long-suffering wife, Luisa, at a luxury spa in Venice, Guido travels through his memories to examine his complicated relationships with the many women in his life. How many women? There are 16 in “Nine,” including Guido’s mother, his producer, the bawdy prostitute who deflowered him as a boy, his latest mistress and many other women he slept with over the years.
In virtually every scene, from six to 16 women are onstage observing Guido as he sorts out his life. This could be challenging on Coronado Playhouse’s small stage, but scenic designers Joe Kau and Jacob Sampson have created a two-story palazzo-style set that helps avoid onstage overcrowding and choreographer Chelsea Zeffiro makes the most of the multilevel space.
Director McCarty brings some of the famed auteur-style camera movement of the movie “8-1/2” to the stage with live video and projections. Caroline Andrew designed lighting and Cole Atencio designed sound.
William Henry Schneider leads the cast as Guido. He’s a solid singer and he plays his character with the remote quality of a man detached from reality. Brittney Tiger give a sensitive and well-sung performance as Guido’s fed-up wife, Luisa. Dacara Seward is a comic scene-stealer as Guido’s mistress Carla. Opera singer Sara Frondini is a vocal standout as movie star Claudia. and Ria Carey is hilarious as the earthy prostitute Saraghina. Also endearing are pre-teen twins Christopher and Daniel Smyres, who alternate in the role of 9-year-old Guido.
The show looks and sounds very good, but “Nine” the musical lacks the mysterious dreamscape quality and whimsy of its film predecessor. Its plot also hasn’t worn especially well with age, particularly in the post-“Me Too” era. Guido is a serial womanizer who openly cheats on his wife and callously uses her suffering as screenplay material, though he does get his comeuppance.
Still, it’s nice to see “Nine,” which besides a production at Lamplighters Community Theatre in La Mesa five years ago hasn’t been staged in San Diego for a very long time.
‘Nine: The Musical’
When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Through July 14
Where: Coronado Playhouse, 1835 Strand Way, Coronado
Tickets: $27
Phone: (619) 435-4856
Online: coronadoplayhouse.org