GroveLily IS Brandon Milburn and Valerie Vigoda, who
materialized around this time of the year about four seasons ago
with their original, creative and marvelous musical
”
Striking Twelve,
”
an updated version of Hans Christian Anderson’s
”
Little Match Girl.
”
GroveLily IS Brandon Milburn and Valerie Vigoda, who materialized around this time of the year about four seasons ago with their original, creative and marvelous musical “Striking Twelve,” an updated version of Hans Christian Anderson’s “Little Match Girl.” Their inventive charm and talent left us fascinated and seduced with their gift and left us wanting more. Well more they have produced with their musical “Long Story Short.” They do not appear in this production but their stamp and originality is imbedded in this production about the long road of love and the adversities of life.
Taken from David Schulner’s play “An Infinite Ache,” music has been added by Milburn and lyrics by his wife/partner Vigoda and the plot rearranged to fit the images that create a delightful, bittersweet vignette of the glories, trials and tribulations of life and love.
The plot takes two likeable but opposite personalities and throws them together. We follow a young, sensitive, awkward Jewish man from New York who meets an outgoing sweetly spoilt Asian-American gal from Los Angeles, trough the years of dating marriage, children, tragedy, divorce and remarriage. They develop their characters as they age and Pearl Sun as Hope and Ben Evans as Charles are a joy to watch. They both give their roles a genuine depth the audience can feel and live through the moments of happiness and despair and settled acceptance of life as it should be.
William Liberatore and four fine musicians give the special feel of the GroveLily experience and splendidly handle the intricate musical cues. Neil Patel’s sparse studio apartment changes the mood and time with Andrew Ostrowski’s interesting lighting. Robert C.T. Steele’s costumes are engaging and fit the moment.
For an enjoyable, exceedingly well-done kaleidoscope of life, don’t miss TheatreWorks “Long Story Short.” As usual, TheatrWorks offers the most upscale theatre this side of Mars.
Camille Bounds is the theatre and arts editor for the Western Division of Sunrise Publications.
***
“Long Story Short”
Where: TheatreWorks, Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays; through Dec. 28
Tickets: $27 – $65
Details: (650) 903-6000 or visit www.theatreworks.org.
