My first question: What did I just see? Was it a play? A Musical? An entertainment? I am not quite sure.
The venue was in the huge L'Auberge Del Mar complex. One parks in the underground garage, takes the elevator to the main floor, goes past the front desk and several of the hotel's venues, through the tennis courts, finally coming upon the venue for San Diego Actors Theater's Fiancée.
There are only a few rows of chairs set up. The combo is off to one end of the "stage." We are entertained by the group: Teresa Henning on guitar and vocals; Nicholas Costa on classical and jazz guitar; Scott Wood on sax, and vocalist Kristen Ilaban. Musical Director Henning also composed much of the score.
The Pre-Show also included monologues, opening with Coach Buddy (Bill Dunnam), who set the scene and immediately plummeted into the "stage." The "stage" was a four-foot-deep, very long lap pool, for this entertainment was theater in the water.
Ilaban, as an OCD swimmer, did three laps around the pool. Lucy Ann Albert, in a lovely gown, regaled us with her most embarrassing experiences. She was a retired synchronized-swim coach. With a flash and flare the gown was gone; now attired in a bathing suit, she hit the water.
Just as the show was about to begin, we were admonished that those in the first row may get wet. More correctly, they would get wet. We meet Meryl (Teresa Beckwith), a lovelier mermaid you will never meet. She has a tendency to pop in and out of the pool to lie along the side. On the audience side, she is guaranteed to get a few folks wet.
John (Javier Guerrero), her boyfriend, sells dolls, fiancées in a box, which are made to look like mermaids. He is also a surfer and marine biologist. Deek (Jacob Caltrider) rounds out the cast, who spend most of the 75-minute play in the water.
This is the first time that I've seen a director that had to cast talent that can act, sign, and swim. Beckwith spends much of her time doing laps, as well as some very well-staged flips.
The musical numbers include "Smile," "Kokomo," and "Beyond the Sea." Writer/Director Patricia Elmore Costa has a fascination with puns and word play. She must have studied under the master of puns, Rich Lederer.
Fiancée was pure fun, it's sad that it ran for only two sold-out nights. In fact they were adding seats at the last minute and there were still a few people standing. I hope Costa can bring the show back to this or another venue so the waterlogged cast and happy audience can both share a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
