STAGE REVIEW : Energetic ‘Boy Friend’ Could Use a Good Woman

Something was very wrong from the very start of the Yorba Linda Civic Light Opera’s production of “The Boy Friend.” In the opening scene, a backdrop providing the illusion of the black-and-white checkered floor continuing into space was wonky; it tilted at an improbable angle.

It is tempting to attribute this, and other similarly disorienting effects, to the unbridled verve that characterized the Roaring ‘20s and provides the setting of this production. This would in part explain the high-kicking legs that teen-age girls displayed to good advantage throughout the play; their short skirts that shimmy and flounce, and their lavish and energetic dance numbers across the crowded stage. If successfully carried out, this flapper frenzy would set up the various tender moments that litter the musical and provide a needed haven of calm.

The problem is that neither in voice nor in step does anyone get into the swing of things. Movement and diction seem to be directed by centrifugal force. In the title tune, Polly Browne (Tera Bonilla) appeared wide-eyed and had the look of one ready for love but failed to project any of a young girl’s emotions. In addition, her voice was barely audible.

Her soon-to-be boyfriend, Tony Brockhurst (Jay Spivey), is a wealthy Englishman disguised as a delivery boy. Spivey’s characterization was compromised by an awkwardly contrived Oxford accent. Consequently, there was nothing cozy about his duet with the hard-to-hear Polly, “A Room in Bloomsbury.” Better if he had hammed it up like his father, Lord Brockhurst (Gordon Marhoefer), or his delightful mother, Lady Brockhurst (Maureen Costa).

There are a few other good moments, but they are few and far between. The duet between Polly’s father, Percival Browne (Dan Short) and his old flame, Madame Dubonnet (Nancy Linder) rekindles their romance and provides one of the tender moments this musical needs. There was an Edith Piaf quality to Linder’s French-accented voice. And the “Sur la Plage” beach scene cleverly simulated breaking waves. But then the action either accelerated wildly, as in “Carnival Tango,” or turned stultifying, as in the hardly enchanting “Poor Little Pierrette.”

Energetic, yes; played with brio, yes. In terms of sheer noise and color, the production crackles like a catherine wheel. On the whole, it seems this production was done on a sugar high; the climax, however, is pure saccharine.

‘THE BOY FRIEND’

A Yorba Linda Civic Light Opera production of the Sandy Wilson musical. Directed and choreographed by Roy Diaz. Produced by Virginia De Land. With Tera Bonilla, Jay Spivey, Nancy Linder, Dan Short, Alli Spotts, Matt Scrivens, Jenny McGlinchey, Maureen Costa and Gordon Marhoefer. Scenic and costume designer: Andrew L. Otero. Lighting designer: Edward Huber. Production stage manager: Darryl Johnson. Continues Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m. At the Yorba Linda Forum Theatre, 4175 Fairmont Blvd., Yorba Linda. Tickets: $10 to $12. Information: (714) 779-8591.