Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

American cowboy band stand-ins who recall Rowan Atkinson

Four-part harmonies, acoustic guitar, upright bass, and toe-tapping beats in Lambs Player's Chaps!

Chaps!: “If you're an ordinary audience member, you'll love it.”
Chaps!: “If you're an ordinary audience member, you'll love it.”

It’s 1944. The war is on. What to do when the American cowboy band doesn’t show up for a live, highly-hyped variety show on BBC radio? You rustle up some stand-ins.

Chaps!

But pickins are slim at the London radio station: a bloke who loves cowboy songs, a producer who is afraid for his job, a chap whose claim to fame is a fish ‘n’ chips ditty, a stuffed-shirt announcer with an attitude problem, and a shell-shocked veteran who does special effects.

Throw in the usually back-stage American gal who has the script and the props, and Whoa, Nellie! The show must — and does — go on. And it’s all for the boys overseas.

If your hankering is for angst-y, artsy, edgy, woke, relevant, or transgressive theater, you already know this ain’t for you. But if you’re a ordinary audience member, you’ll love it, because this show is all about pleasing the audience, all about good entertainment. It’s short on story and long on spectacle.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Comic highlights include Archie’s complete inability to approximate an American accent, and the suddenly flamboyant Leslie’s falsetto version of an aria from Carmen with lyrics replaced entirely with names of French foods.

“Cowboy band” may make you think of twangy voices, trucks, and mamas. But what’s offered is tight, four-part harmonies, acoustic guitar, upright bass, and toe-tapping beats (many improvised by the effects guy in unconventional ways).

Lamb’s has put together an ensemble of players who can act, sing, and dance, while roping in plenty of good laughs. There’s no weak link in the chain, but Catie Grady as Mabel lassoes hearts with her spunky performance and flawless vocals over two hours. Arusi Santi creates a fully developed, engaging character in Stan the effects guy despite not having a single spoken line. His physical acting put me in mind of Rowan Atkinson.

Bring the whole gang: It’s family-friendly.

Chaps! by Jahnna Beecham & Malcolm Hillgartner

Lamb’s Player’s Theater, 1142 Orange Avenue, Coronado

Directed by Robert Smyth. Cast: Steve Gouveia, Arusi Santi, Charles Evans, Jr., Ross Hellwig, Manny Fernandez, Caitie Grady. Music Direction by Jon Lorenz, choreography by Deborah Gilmour Smyth, scenic design by Mike Buckley, costume design by Jeanne Reith, lighting design by Nathan Peirson

Plays through May 19

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?
Next Article

2024 continues to impress with yellowfin much closer to San Diego than they should be

New rockfish regulations coming this week as opener approaches
Chaps!: “If you're an ordinary audience member, you'll love it.”
Chaps!: “If you're an ordinary audience member, you'll love it.”

It’s 1944. The war is on. What to do when the American cowboy band doesn’t show up for a live, highly-hyped variety show on BBC radio? You rustle up some stand-ins.

Chaps!

But pickins are slim at the London radio station: a bloke who loves cowboy songs, a producer who is afraid for his job, a chap whose claim to fame is a fish ‘n’ chips ditty, a stuffed-shirt announcer with an attitude problem, and a shell-shocked veteran who does special effects.

Throw in the usually back-stage American gal who has the script and the props, and Whoa, Nellie! The show must — and does — go on. And it’s all for the boys overseas.

If your hankering is for angst-y, artsy, edgy, woke, relevant, or transgressive theater, you already know this ain’t for you. But if you’re a ordinary audience member, you’ll love it, because this show is all about pleasing the audience, all about good entertainment. It’s short on story and long on spectacle.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Comic highlights include Archie’s complete inability to approximate an American accent, and the suddenly flamboyant Leslie’s falsetto version of an aria from Carmen with lyrics replaced entirely with names of French foods.

“Cowboy band” may make you think of twangy voices, trucks, and mamas. But what’s offered is tight, four-part harmonies, acoustic guitar, upright bass, and toe-tapping beats (many improvised by the effects guy in unconventional ways).

Lamb’s has put together an ensemble of players who can act, sing, and dance, while roping in plenty of good laughs. There’s no weak link in the chain, but Catie Grady as Mabel lassoes hearts with her spunky performance and flawless vocals over two hours. Arusi Santi creates a fully developed, engaging character in Stan the effects guy despite not having a single spoken line. His physical acting put me in mind of Rowan Atkinson.

Bring the whole gang: It’s family-friendly.

Chaps! by Jahnna Beecham & Malcolm Hillgartner

Lamb’s Player’s Theater, 1142 Orange Avenue, Coronado

Directed by Robert Smyth. Cast: Steve Gouveia, Arusi Santi, Charles Evans, Jr., Ross Hellwig, Manny Fernandez, Caitie Grady. Music Direction by Jon Lorenz, choreography by Deborah Gilmour Smyth, scenic design by Mike Buckley, costume design by Jeanne Reith, lighting design by Nathan Peirson

Plays through May 19

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Top Websites To Buy Instagram Likes + Bonus Tip!

Next Article

Angry Pete’s goes from pop-up to drive-thru

Detroit Pizza sidles into the husk of a shuttered Taco Bell
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.