Theater Review : ‘No Minimum’ Maximizes Witty Lounge Material

Leaping lounge lizards!

They’re on parade at The Theatre in Old Town through April 30, courtesy of April Winchell and Roy Leake Jr., who play 10 of them in the world premiere of “No Minimum.”

Winchell and Leake switch costumes and accents as they portray, among others, a Steve & Eydie-type team (Nick & Vicki), the folk-singing Crullers, the Chai-Lo’s (also known as the King and Kween of the Katskills) and the hard-drinking Do’Reen (an escapee from the Crullers).

“No Minimum,” done as a workshop in Los Angeles in 1992, doesn’t have the social sting of the similar two-person, multi-character parody “Greater Tuna,” which focuses on a small Texas town, or the “Rashomon”-like flavor of “Family Secrets,” in which Sherry Glaser plays five family members comparing conflicting memories.

But Winchell and Leake, who also wrote the book and lyrics, are mature, seasoned and talented comic performers who know their subjects wickedly well.

The production--impeccably set by Joel Huxtable (check out the cabaret seating at the front of the stage) and costumed by Ardith Gray--gleams like a jewel, capturing the contrasting styles of Borscht Belt and country to perfection.

But to be a truly fine offering, the show’s creators should sharpen the focus and tighten the meandering ending. That would enhance the future for “No Minimum,” which its producers are billing as an off-Broadway-bound production.

As it sits, the numbers are too loosely connected. One way to fix this would be to focus on the difference between a lounge lizard and an artist. Often it’s not a question of voice or even delivery, but feeling and aspiration.

The lyrics of Nick & Vicki’s opening number, “It’s Now,” support that theme by mocking the performers’ naked manipulation of the audience by telling us overtly in the lyrics about their techniques.

The ending, too, is a clever idea that allows Winchell and Leake to change into their various characters. But the changes aren’t quick enough; the content isn’t pointed enough. After being spoiled by 11 incredibly funny songs, it just doesn’t seem right to have a non-musical finale.

*

That said, it is still an immensely pleasurable show, and it’s easy to have a good time at the expense of the lizards we have loved to hate. Where else can you hear a song from a musical about Roget’s Thesaurus called “In Other Words”?

The original music by James May has a heard-it-before quality perfect for this show. After all, these are not the types of singers who would seriously consider doing anything new. The way Leake and Winchell sell the songs, with his moon face and smarmy grin and her exasperated, on-the-edge delivery, is irresistible.

Put it all together with numbers such as “K-R-E-P-L-A-C-H,” “Scranton Medley” and “The Ballad of Butcher Brown” (a bizarre, sweetly sung ballad about a murderous butcher), and you’ve got a very funny evening--with promise of funnier things to come.

* “No Minimum,” Theatre in Old Town, 4040 Twiggs St., San Diego. Wednesday-Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., and Sunday 2 p.m. Ends April 30. $20-$30. (619) 688-2494. Running time: 1 hour, 18 minutes.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

April Winchell: Various lounge lizards

Roy Leake Jr.: Various lounge lizards

A presentation by The Theatre in Old Town. Book and lyrics by April Winchell and Roy Leake Jr. Music by James May. Directed by Joel Paley. Lights and sets: Joel Huxtable. Costumes: Ardith Gray. Sound: Stuart Holmes. Musical director: Terry O’Donnell. Production stage manager: W. Bart Ebbink.