Review: Erika Amato Shines in Paint Your Wagon

[eslgr8]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 1:57am

Hey everyone,
I went to see our very own Erika Amato in Paint Your Wagon tonight at the Geffen (Brentwood Theatre) in West Los Angeles and am pleased to report that she and the production itself are both excellent. Erika is delightfuly saucy as Cherry, the French dance hall hostess; you can't take your eyes off her in the big Act 1 dance number Whoop-Ti-Ay! In Act 2, she has a great scene in her second role, that of Mormon wife (#1 or #2?) Sarah who squabbles with "the other wife" and their henpecked x 2 husband in the delightful "Mormon Trio." The play itself is engrossing and entertaining. The original Alan Jay Lerner book is said to have been heavily revised by David Rambo. I'm not familiar with the original, but the new book feels fresh (lots of very funny current events double entendres) and keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. The set design is most original, especially in its use of rear screen projections which show not only real scenes from the Gold Rush but also allow the stage to quickly become a forest, a dance hall, a boom town, a mission, etc... TV and Broadway's Sharon Lawrence is lovely and very funny as Lily, a down on her luck actress, and a new but sure to be heard from Jessica Rush is stellar in the leading female role of the gold miner's tomboy daughter. Alex Mendoza is sexy as all get-out as her Mexican love Julio. Excellent work all around from a topnotch bunch of L.A. actors, including the very talented Ms. Amato, whom I had the pleasure of speaking with after the show. It closes on January 9th. 1/2 tickets are available for most of those performances at the link below. If you're in the L.A. area, be sure to catch Erika in this rarely produced Lerner and Lowe hit.
--Steven Stanley aka eslgr8
1/2 price tickets for Paint Your Wagon Updated On: 12/27/04 at 01:57 AM

[shira467]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 2:13am

It closes the 2nd?!?!?!?!?!

Okay, if I get home on the first, my family has a party the 2nd...eh, they don't need me there. I have to see this!

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 2:33am

Sounds great, any chance this will go further? I love the score but the book was always a problem. If that is fixed, bring it to NY!
Congratulations, Erika.

[eslgr8]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 2:42am

Shira467. I revised my original message. The show plays till the 9th. 1/2 price tickets are available for most of those performances, especially for the final week's. Updated On: 12/27/04 at 02:42 AM

[paradox_error]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 6:39am

CONGRATULATIONS ERIKA!!!
You are a lovely person and a welcome addition to BWW.com!
I'm glad to hear you did so well!

[shira467]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 7:05am

eslger8, thanks for the message! I think I originally thought it was the 9th -- so the 2nd scared me!

Erika, congratulations! May this be only a beginning.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 7:59am

Is this the production that stars David Hasselhoff? He isn't mentioned in the review.

[eslgr8]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 12:33pm

From Ms. Amato in an earlier post: "The Hasslhoff thing is something the NY producers (who own the rights to the revival), have wanted since the beginning, but our production wasn't interested in using him... But he came to one of our Preview performances on the urging of those original producers, which means if it does go to NY, they'll probably want him in it." The male lead (who plays Jessica Rush's father) is Tom Wilson, who is excellent, just as he was in the recent revival of 110 in the Shade at the Pasadena Playhouse. Hasselhoff would probably be good in the role.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 3:10pm

Hi, guys! Well, I am blushing at eslgr8's review...happily blushing, of course!

Thanks so much for the kind words, and if any of you are in the LA area and end up making it to the show, please be sure to say hi afterwards. =)

Happy Holidays!

~Erika (Who is truly enjoying her day off! Woo-hoo!)

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 3:33pm

Congrats, Erika!

[dotmarie]

Posted: 12/27/04 at 3:47pm

Hooray and a big CONGRATS for Erika!

I am still wanting to see the show - good to see I have till the 9th; we'll see what happens!

[erikaamato]

Posted: 12/28/04 at 2:06pm

Thanks, dotmarie and derric! I've been having such a great time.

And since I was a bit brief in my response yesterday:

Dollypop: Although this was already answered, I want to be clear: David Hasselhoff has never been involved in this production nor has he auditioned for it. The NY-based producers (who own the rights to the show) are interested in using him, and in fact, Mr. Hasselhoff attended one of our Preview performances so he could see what it was all about, but he has never been attached officially to the project. (Although there were news items to that effect planted by these same producers, for whatever reason.) Tom Wilson (best known as "Bif" in the Back to the Future movie trilogy) is our "Ben Rumson," and he is brilliant. =)

shira467: Thanks! From your lips to God's ear, as they say!

paradox_error: Thank you so much! I'm really glad I found this site!

SueleenGay: There's been talk that it may go on tour and/or to NY... We'll see.