There's a time for Plot, and there's a time for Tap. In the impossibly small space of Winter Park Playhouse, we get a little the first and a lot of the latter. Take every movie and stage cliché and toss them together - Ruby (Sipler) arrives in New York as a raw new comer with nothing but low blood sugar and a new set of taps. She's involved with Naval Conscript / songwriter Dick (Long), who miraculously bumps into her as she seeks a job in a failing playhouse dominated by a fading star Mona Kent (Alexander). The job is hers until bulldozers demolish the place for a roller rink. Not to fear, the show moves on to a convenient Navy cruiser captained by Mona's boyfriend Captain Gullible (Edwards). There's a love quadrangle and some other plot, but it's written with a big magic marker so you'll pick it up in about 2 nanoseconds. Just pay attention to their feet, that's where the excitement lurks.
What makes this show sing are the songs, punctuated by tap numbers so completely fabricated that you have no choice but to fall in love with them. Supporting the action is lanky Robin Pedretti as the cynical Joan who adopts Ruby, and her philandering boy friend Lucky (Roy Allen), both of which can shoot sparks out there toes when called upon. My criterion for musicals is simple - can you hum something out to the car? Two songs easily meet that mark - Lucky's "Singapore Sue", and the boffo blow out number "Star Tar" where Sipler gets to take the stage completely by herself long enough to pull solid applause in the middle of her big tap number. Now, THAT'S entertainment!
This is non-stop escapist fun, suitable for anyone who's ever seen a black and white movie. WPPH has new risers, improving their sight lines considerably, even though the chairs make good relations with your neightbors critical. I recommend seating boy-girl-boy, but you can work that out for yourself. This show is selling out for good reason, grab some tickets before you have to whine at them to extend.
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