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Theater Review

By Ruiling Erica Zhang

June 2, 2009 9:11 p.m.

The audience was told before the opening night of Cole Porter’s “Red, Hot and Blue!” that the mission of By George Productions is “to preserve and present lost musicals” with as much historical accuracy as possible. My anticipation subsequently sank a little, but quickly renewed at a chance to write, “It’s no wonder it’s a lost musical; it should have stayed lost.”

But as the tinkle of piano and syncopated swaggering of percussion filled the intimate 99-seat Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks, an old-fashioned charm started in ““ and I had a feeling I’d have to find another way to fit that phrase in.

Set in New York City and Washington, D.C., the madcap story surrounds a national lottery devised by wealthy widow and former manicurist “Nails” O’Reilly Duquesne (Allyson Turner) to find the childhood love of Bob Hale (Kyle Nudo), her lawyer and the man she is in love with.

Along the way, ex-con “Policy” Pinkle (the hilarious crowd-pleaser Richard Horvitz), who’d rather go back to the good life behind bars offers assistance and raucous comedic hijinks.

“Red, Hot and Blue!” was Cole Porter’s 1936 follow-up to the classic “Anything Goes,” which is currently running at the Macgowan Little Theater.

Like its predecessor, it includes the catchy “It’s De-Lovely” and was written and first performed during the Great Depression.

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