reviewvancouver: The IT Girl

DramaNatrix Productions
The IT Girl

Dates and Venue October 1 – 17, 2015 at 8pm (2pm matinees on Sundays) | Studio 1398, Granville Island

Reviewer Karen Fitzgibbon

This is one of the best performances I have ever seen in Vancouver. It is a fun frolic through the era of silent movies. This musical has everything that you will ever want in a musical. There is humor, romance, a heroine and of course a villain. It is extremely well directed and flows flawlessly.

We are taken back to New York City in the 1920s when newspapers used to be stacked on the corner ready for distribution. The stage setting is just that: piles of newspapers and a black and white movie continually rolls above the stage. In 1927 Clara Bow played the part of a sales clerk who works in a Manhattan department store. The IT Girl is a rendition of that film.

The store owner has decided to run a contest to find the IT Girl to represent their store. Smart and spunky Betty Lou Spencer ( Katie Purych) enters the contest. She’s from Brooklyn and is a sales clerk who sells lingerie in a department store in Manhattan. The store goes on the hunt for their IT Girl who has special attractive qualities (No, I am not going to tell you who's the one. This is a review and I am not a story spoiler.)

There are many hilarious lines, animated movements, and terrific facial expressions. The storyline is well written and the whole show seems spontaneous rather than memorized..The singers are great, the choreography superb and I love the bright costumes of the characters, from the Coney Island: bearded lady, to a belly dancer and many others. I particularly like the entrance of the whole cast wearing black and white attire whilst our leading lady wears a bright red dress. It is a powerful statement of the silent era.

I cannot say enough about this incredible musical. If you are reading this review then you had better get over to Studio 1398 and enjoy this wonderful stage production If you are a cast member checking out this review then “Bravo!” You have made our evening a delight and we leave with smiles on our faces.