Living On Love

[edjames]

Now in previews starring the elegant, and in this performance, very funny, Renee Fleming, this new comedy is a hilarious romp back to the 50's with an egotistic philandering maestro and his opera diva wife.

 

Far better than I expected. Opera fans will be somewhat delighted. Ms. Fleming does some operatic bits and pieces from famous arias and there are other pieces from opera scores thrown in for good measure.

 

The cast is only 6. Set in an elegant NYC penthouse, Douglas Sills is hilarious as the over-the-top Italian maestro who is attempting to write his autobiography with a ghost writer, Robert (Jerry O'Connell). The collaboration is a complete failure and now the publishing company wants their advance returned. Fearful of the maestro, they send a lowly assistant editor, Anna Chlumsky, to settle the issue. She, too, fails miserable and winds up taking over as the ghost writer. However, the diva has her own plans for an autobiography and quickly hires Robert and tries to seduce him.

 

It's a comedy of errors, some of it in broken English/Italian. Of note are the two butlers who are delightful. even the little Pom dog is good!

 

All in all a very entertaining and funny evening.