THEATER REVIEW : ‘Nite Club’ Sizzles With Torch Songs, Dark Nostalgia

Perhaps it is the impending end of the century that causes people to look Janus-like back as well as forward. Or perhaps it is because the world has become so frightening in its destructive potential that people long to lose themselves in some simple imagined “Happy Days” series where the late ‘50s and early ‘60s will never extend as far as the Kennedy assassination. Then again, maybe it is because there are only 12 ideas in the world, and that once the gamut is run, the cycle has to play itself out again.

Whatever the reason, if you want to put your finger on today, look at yesterday. And it sells--from ‘50s-style food at the Corvette Diner in San Diego to revivals like “Anything Goes” and “Me and My Girl” on Broadway, or “Suds,” the homage to ‘50s music opening at the Old Globe March 31, and “The Wonder Years: The Baby Boom Musical,” which played both houses of the Gaslamp Quarter Theatre last year.

But before you swear off Wonder bread, Donna Reed and all nostalgic fiction forever, consider one more offering that’s definitely worth catching: “Nite Club Confidential,” the Gaslamp Quarter Theatre’s loving tribute to film noir-- the dark side of the ‘50s coin--playing through April 23 at the old Gaslamp Quarter Theatre Company.

It’s a hot little show, with a glib, smooth-talking romancer caught between an aging torch singer and an up-and-coming one--sort of a cross between “Sunset Boulevard” and “Pal Joey.” The mood on this close, intricately conceived and flashily lit little set is red fire and blue smoke. And if you like torch songs, there’s a selection here sung in a way that will send your rockets sizzling up into the stratosphere.

Remember “Something’s Gotta Give,” “Goody Goody,” “I Thought About You”? As conceived and written by Dennis Deal, “Nite Club Confidential” moves five performers through a string of gems by such masters as Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Frank Loesser and Sammy Fain and manages to seamlessly weave in Deal’s work, composed with Albert Evans.

These songs demand a lot from their performers. And the performers do not disappoint, either dramatically under James A. Strait’s direction or musically under Heidi Lynn’s musical supervision. J.D. Burns, who also designed the deft choreography, has a strong voice and a wonderfully crooked, rectangular smile as the singer who sells his body to the women who can promise him the best spot. He delivers some nice harmonies with Marc Raia and Daniel Wingard as part of his aptly named group, “The High Hopes.”

But it is Nanci Hunter, perfectly cast in the larger-than-life role of Kay Goodman, the boozy, bitchy, broken torch singer, who brings the soul of the genre to life. Playing Goodman like a cross between Debbie Reynolds and Mae West, Hunter squirrels out every last morsel of self parody, moving a lascivious “Something’s Got To Give” to a takeoff on Mamie Eisenhower. But just when you’re ready to pigeonhole her as a comedienne, she pulls out the stops and sings “Something’s Got To Give” again, this time in a way that electrifies.

In a well-played contrast, nicely noted in Dianne Holly’s costumes, Christine McHugh is sweet-voiced and appealing as Kay’s rival, Dorothy, who moves from girlish polka dots to Kay’s beaded glitter. One of the most telling moments between the two is when Dorothy starts to sing one of Goodman’s songs, “Love Isn’t Born, It’s Made” by Arthur Schwartz/Frank Loesser. When the drunk Goodman weaves her way on stage to finish the song, Dorothy knows enough to cede the microphone to the lady with the pipes that can kill.

Much in the spirit of a true night club, Robert Earl has centered a circular orchestra pit, complete with curtain, on the tiny Gaslamp Quarter Theatre stage, and yet has managed to build a small roomy world around it. There is a curtain, sliding doors, stairs, ramp and Venetian blinds, skillfully lit by Matthew Cubitto, that open, shut, darken and lighten sometimes to reveal dreamy images of people who are being thought about. The skillful three-person band is similarly detailed with care, with a glass for cigarettes, a glass for matches and a glass for money set casually atop the piano.

“Nite Club Confidential” is a play rife with jive that mocks the very milieu it celebrates. “It was disgusting. It was humiliating. It was show business,” Buck says with a leer. No surprise this was a hit at Los Angeles’ Tiffany Theatre where it closed a one-year run last year after its initial 1983 off-Broadway debut. But you don’t have to love--or hate--the sleazy side of Hollywood to love this show. All you have to do is see it.

“NITE CLUB CONFIDENTIAL”

By Dennis Deal. New music and lyrics by Dennis Deal and Albert Evans. Original musical supervision by Albert Evans and original direction by Dennis Deal. Director is James A. Strait. Musical direction by Heidi Lynn. Choreography by J.D. Burns. Settings by Robert Earl. Lighting by Matthew Cubitto. Sound by John Hauser. Costumes by Dianne Holly. Stage manager is Elizabeth Stephens. Conceived by Dennis Deal with Albert Evans and Jamie Rocco. With J.D. Burns, Nanci Hunter, Christine McHugh, Marc Raia and Daniel Wingard. At 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturdays, with Sunday matinees at 2. At the Gaslamp Quarter Theatre Company, 444 4th Ave., San Diego.