‘Desert Song’: a Mirage Almost Too Good to Be True

If Spy magazine in its heyday had put on an operetta, it could not have done better than Fullerton Civic Light Opera’s hilarious version of “The Desert Song” at Plummer Auditorium.

A must-see for theater buffs of hybrid forms--in this instance, Borscht Belt opera meets Dada cabaret--”The Desert Song” is a 1926 Sigmund Romberg relic that shines like a beacon of kitsch in the shifting sands of stage history.

With the feckless help of a dopey book and uninspired lyrics (by Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II and Frank Mandel), the show offers safe harbor to Arab bandits led by the Red Shadow (Robert Yacko) in their uprising against the French Foreign Legion.

The loopy plot is very Clark Kent: The Red Shadow, who operates in disguise, actually is the French general’s silly son, Pierre. Nobody takes him seriously, of course, including Margot (Victoria Strong), his beloved, who is being wooed by the captain of the Legionnaires.

The look of the production sets the tone for the show. The scenery, rented from the San Bernardino Civic Light Opera, is cartoonish. The costumes have comic strip written all over them, especially the Foreign Legion’s blue-and-red uniforms. They look like slept-in pajamas.

The Red Shadow’s get-up--mask, cape and sword--gives the impression of a sendup: Zorro crossed with Robin. The harem girls seem awfully prim in unflattering gossamer and, doubling as young French women, like schoolmarms in taffeta.

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The characters are crudely written stereotypes. The Arabs are self-described thieves who like to pick Christian pockets “with the help of Allah.” Margot is an adventurous ingenue who wants to be swept off her feet; the Captain, an ambitious martinet who does nothing for Margot in the romance department; the General, a wise officer and a courtly gentleman.

Meanwhile, a vaudeville pair--the intrepid journalist from the Paris Herald and his secretary--provide intended comic relief. Well-played by Terry Rhoads and Heidi Godt, they’re good at shtick and nicely cast. Their roles may be ridiculous caricatures, too, but they fit the surrounding absurdity.

The other roles, even when capably played, seem outlandish and bland. Yacko offers a funny, fey sense of humor as Pierre, the nerd in glasses. But he’s a unheroic sendup as the Red Shadow--despite his vibrant baritone--thanks to his tomato-colored costume.

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Strong, a soprano who lives up to her name vocally, lacks the dramatic freshness of an ingenue. Melina Kalomas as Azuri, the captain’s illicit lover, is a happy sight: sexy, seductive and beautiful. Still, grateful as we may be to watch her belly-dance, the role requires the narrow emotional range of bad melodrama.

Straightforward singing throughout, by chorus and principals alike, is lusty and welcome, though hardly memorable. Romberg’s out-of-date Hollywood score pretty much guarantees that.

All told, this “Desert Song” revival is mired in silent-screen antics, which makes for lots of laughs but also makes you wonder: What possessed them?

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* “The Desert Song,” Plummer Auditorium, 201 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton. Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m.; also July 21, 7 p.m. Ends July 28. $14-$30. (714) 879-1732. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.

Robert Yacko: The Red Shadow/Pierre Birabeau

Victoria Strong: Margot BonvaletHeidi Godt: Susan

Terry Rhoads: Benjamin Kidd

Melina Kalomas: Azuri

Jack Ritschel: General Birabeau

Harold Clousing: Ali Ben Ali

Kit A. Wilson: Sid El Kar

Dan Stroud: Hadji

Katherine Davis: Neri

Robert Townsend: Capt. Paul Fontaine

Holly Stiles: Edith

Dyan McKinney: Clementina

Richard Zimmer: MindarChristopher De Soto: Hassi

Gregory Cooke: Lt. Lavergne

Steven Chapin: Sgt. Du Boussac

Eric Cajiuat: Nogi

Dancing Girls

Melisa Halfmann, Carolyn Kahachikian, Melissa Lyons and Audrey Messick

Also in ensemble:

Dore Beynon, Heidi Biang, Carmel Helm, Holton Johnson, Joseph Lasell, Mia Maffei, John-Michael Martinez, Percy Martinez, Benton Melbourne, Michael Osburn, Kati Prescott, Brian Sturzenacker, Kathleen Sullivan, Enrico Villanueva and Wendy Young.

A Fullerton Civic Light Opera production of an operetta by Sigmund Romberg (music) and Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II and Frank Mandel (book and lyrics). Director: Wesley A. Mask. Musical director/conductor: Todd Helm. Choreographer: Lee Martino. Costume coordination: Ambra King Wakefield. Lighting design: Donna Ruzika. Sets courtesy San Bernardino Civic Light Opera. Production stage manager: Donna R. Parsons.