Stage Review - Gunmetal Blues (Key City)

Stage Review - Gunmetal Blues
Presented By: Key City Public Theatre - Port Townsend, WA
Show Run: April 04 - April 28, 2024
Date Reviewed: Friday, April 05, 2024 (Opening Night)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

What do you get when you cross a lounge singer called Buddy Toupee, a private investigator named Sam Galahad, a half dozen blondes, and a murder? Before you answer, add a smoke filled club on the airline strip called the Red Eye Lounge, a mysterious mansion on a hill, the mob, and a police detective that wants Sam Galahad to “leave it alone”, and see if you can figure it out. Oh, and don’t forget to make it a musical. The answer to all of these questions is a “noir musical mystery” called Gunmetal Blues, written by Scott Wentworth (Book), Craig Bohmler, and Marion Adler (Music and Lyrics), and it’s running on stage through April 28 at Key City Public Theatre in Port Townsend. Gunmetal Blues, directed here by Brendan Chambers, and featuring a large cast of three (more on that later), feels like a musical Raymond Chandler novel, dialing up the feel of noir, its campy dialogue, and hard nosed characters, while at the same time going full satire in a mashup that is both nostalgic and new, and exceedingly fun.

Gunmetal Blues is a whodunit wrapped in a lounge act, and is a nod to the noir films of Bogart and the like. Buddy Toupee, played by Mark Rabe, sits at the piano, introduces the show and provides narration, accompaniment (musical and otherwise) throughout, and is at times a conscience for private investigator Sam Galahad. Mark is an extremely talented piano player, an expert singer, and a fantastic guide for the audience to follow along with. He’s not alone musically, joined frequently by a three piece band offstage, though clearly led by Mark, featuring Rachel Doan (drums), Isaac Jasinski (bass), and Jayne Morrison (woodwinds), all under the musical direction of Linda Dowdell. It’s a jazzy score that is not overly complex but solid, with songs that are at times tongue-in-cheek and at others melancholy. There’s a shroud of stark loneliness to this genre and Gunmetal Blues captures that very well. A song like “Childhood Days” is the perfect example of this, sung by Mark’s Buddy as well as Sam (Geoffrey Simmons), and Laura, one of the plethora of blonds played by Christa Holbrook. This song is the the one moment of levity in an otherwise satirical and comically stereotypical story, and shines a light on the solitary lives of the lounge singer, the private eye, and the femme fatale. It’s also a showcase for the vocal talent of this group, which is nothing to scoff at.

Mark is perhaps the most active of the players here. He’s not just Buddy, but he also fills in for other, smaller bit roles, like the Detective who wants Sam off the case, a doorman/receptionist, a mob boss, and any other character that is called for to support the story. He’s not just a lounge singer, he’s a quick change artist, and the agility he shows switching between Buddy and these other characters is impeccable, and while the costume changes are comically minimal, the vocal ones are not. Christa also shows some flexibility here, and the listing of her as “The Blonde” in the program is not inaccurate. She’s the blonde who hires Sam to find the missing blonde, who may or may not have committed murder in the mysterious mansion on the hill, a mystery that Sam enlists another blonde (The Princess) to help him solve. Following Christa’s peroxide coiffed personas is like trying to follow the twists and turns of the story, and there are quite a few as you might expect in something like this. A good deal of credit goes to costume designer Corinne Elysse Adams, both for Buddy’s ability to quick change, and to reflect the many aspects of Christa’s performance.

Geoffery, meanwhile, steals the show as the chain smoking, hard boiled private eye, quick with a one liner or a typically cinematic catch phrase. His delivery smacks of Bogart, and his overall characterization feels like a combination of all that is classic about Bogart’s Sam Spade or what you’d expect from someone like Philip Marlowe. It’s so well done, and performed so straight that it’s very funny. He’s also got soul. Geoffery’s vocal delivery here is jazzy and very smooth. His performance of “Gunmetal Blues” punctuates this point, his singing is strong throughout, but he encompasses all that is good about this performance in this number. Between Christa’s strong soprano, Geoffery’s soul, and Mark’s “not sold in stores” lounge style (his opener of Act 2 is one for the comedy books), this trio is the perfect combination to make Gunmetal Blues work.

I can’t complete my dissertation of this highly successful production of Gunmetal Blues without talking about the creative team. The set is striking, Katie Oman’s Red Eye Lounge is the focal point of the set and the centerpiece for Buddy’s stage show. It’s beautifully designed and presented and, thanks to Albert Mendez and his work as lighting designer, classically lit. In fact, Albert’s lighting has a lot to do with the overall attractiveness of this production. If not for this creative aspect, the Red Eye Lounge wouldn’t look as seedy, Sam’s office, which is tucked in one corner of the Key City stage, wouldn’t look as stark, and the streets outside of both wouldn’t be as mysterious. And the shadow work in those areas behind the stage is wonderfully done. Add Taylor Thomas Marsh’s work with sound and what Brendan has done is create a production that feels almost cinematic in its presentation, while encompassing all of the things that are magical about live theatre. It’s important to note that there is cigarette smoking in Gunmetal Blues. I mean, if you’re going to accurately reflect this genre there almost has to be, but the cigarettes used in this production have a scent very close to the real thing, enough so that I wonder if they are. This is all to say that if someone attending the show is sensitive to cigarette smoke, they might want to be prepared for that. But if that’s the only thing I point out that is not completely positive, I think it’s clear how well I think this is done.

Gunmetal Blues is a mystery wrapped in a comedy and tucked into a musical. Directed by Brendan Chambers and featuring a classically designed and constructed scenic design, and a stellar trio of veteran actors with excellent vocal chops, the show is reminiscent of the best noir films of the Bogart era and features a song list that is jazzy, humorous, and catchy. There’s something for everyone here, and between the music, mystery, and nostalgia, Gunmetal Blues is a thoroughly enjoyable production, presented with the high level of quality that Key City Public Theatre is recognizable for.

Gunmetal Blues runs on stage at Key City Public Theatre in Port Townsend through April 28. For more information about the show, Key City, and ticket availability, visit https://keycitypublictheatre.org/.

Photo credit: Mel Carter