The Melodrama is a performance group that feels like a throwback to the old days of vaudeville, slapstick humor, and occasional interaction with the crowd. They attempt to modernize everything by satirizing popular culture and throwing in references ranging from profound to absurd. While the group is small, they have tackled such titles as last year's the Dark Knight Rises. They return for an engagement at Santa Ana's own Mysterium with their take on Lincoln. While the cast is small, the energy is always large. In a sense, their take on the iconic president may not be new ground, but then again, it was never narrated by George Washington.
The appeal of the Melodrama is that it is largely based on crowd interactions. Before every show, one of the performers walks out and states the rules: 1. Cheer for the hero and utility players, 2. Swoon for the love interest, and 3. Hiss at the villain. Along with a piano player (Jeffrey Larson) accompanying with pieces recalling familiar patriotic melodies such as "Hail to the Chief," the simple cues are enough to enhance any experience. It invests the audience and while the sets tend to be very minimalist, the self-awareness benefits the overall experience.
For those familiar with Steven Spielberg's take on Lincoln, this is not entirely the story presented here. While he is seen in office, this is more of an origin story of how the son of a simple-minded man grew up to be an educated hero to the masses. While slavery is dealt with, it almost comes as an afterthought, choosing to instead comment on the legitimacy of ridiculous characteristics, since it is a period piece.
In fact, the hour-long production is more a commentary on how a production of a president goes than of really saying anything fresh about Lincoln. He may be at the heart of the story, but many of the constructs seem too far fetched to be just Lincoln's story. What we do get is jabs at opponents, conversations with Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Barrack Obama, an extended reference to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter that may get the front rows wet, and the only production in history to overlook the Civil War in favor of you watching it on the History Channel. The show is very minimalist, but it uses every element effectively.
If the atmosphere isn't enough of a sell, stick around for the performances. Lincoln is effectively played by Michael Ornelas, who also directed and helped on costumes. With simple waves of his hand, he is able to captivate the audience into fantasizing about Lincoln as a hero. He may never move the mood beyond light and hearty, but he keeps it effectively paced, occasionally riffing on spur of the moment reactions from the crowd. There's plenty of song and dance, and the supporting cast, which includes androgynous shop owners (Alli Merrill) and Django Unchained's title character (Jose Orozco), it is a night of absurdity that leads to many great asides. It may seem like this element would diminish the show, but the story is so satirized that it doesn't matter.
The production of Lincoln's only flaw is that it overlooks a lot of ripe material from the later years. While he is seen in office, these moments are reserved and come momentarily in comparison to the first act of his rise to power. It even feels weird that the show overlooked his infamous murder (then again, neither did Spielberg's Lincoln, so we'll give that a pass), though was cleverly replaced with an Obama cameo. In a sense, for all of the fun of the show, there is a wish that it wasn't so short. Maybe it was time constraints, but there's a wish for something more, as the production overlooks moments ripe for skewing.
But the moments that are covered are usually fun and full of life. It is only made more enjoyable when the "third act" of the show switches from a stage show into the vaudeville side of things. Honoring troops overseas, all of the performers sing songs and act out brief skits that come and go at rapid pace. There isn't a dull moment. It is a full-on tribute to the troops, even including a version of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" sung by Kathleen Hallo and Alli Merrill. It is fun and possibly even tighter than the show.
For an hour production, it is a great time. You won't learn anything new about Lincoln, but the Melodrama's take on it is full of ingenuity and fun that it doesn't matter. At times referencing their own production's short comings, this is a funny little show that will have you cheering, swooning, and occasionally hissing in ways you'd never thought imaginable. Lincoln is fantastic and so is the rest of the cast. There's only a wish that it was longer so that more laughs could be taken away from it.
For tickets and information, please visit the Mysterium's website here.
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