'Names' straddles comedy, tragedy
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Not surprisingly, Marga Gomez begins her show by biting the hand that feeds her.
Sauntering onstage in the guise of her father, Willy Chevalier, complete with stick-on mustache, Gomez takes on the producer -- chiding him for putting the show in Building D rather than Building A, where it belongs, decrying the lack of an orchestra and the fact the cast consists of only one person, when everyone knows you can't have a real show without at least five in the cast, and on and on.It's funny stuff that not only sets the tone for Gomez's newest solo show, "Los Big Names," which opened Wednesday night at San Francisco's Magic Theatre, but prepares us for a show business autobiography.
What it doesn't set us up for is the impact of this wildly funny tragicomedy that often teeters on the bitter edge of despair, but never falls into the depths.
It becomes quickly clear that Gomez did not have anything close to a wonderful childhood. The family was dysfunctional in two languages, with her parents putting their entertainment careers (Willy was a comedian and singer; mother Margarita was a singer with eyes on a movie career) before the emotional needs of a little girl.
Willy and Margarita lusted for the sound of a happy crowd. They taught their daughter early on that applause was love.
Most remarkable, though, is how Gomez has taken this recipe for a lifetime on an analyst's couch and turned it into a bittersweet tale that is always engaging, and usually funny. It is this talent for emotional alchemy -- a knack for turning misfortune and tragedy into comic gold -- that Gomez has always used to make her work something special.
Here, however, she moves it up a notch with a tightly written, well-crafted piece that showcases not only her aptitude with words, but the best aspects of her performing ability. Gomez is an excellent impersonator, which she demonstrates in a wicked caricature of Sharon Stone; and a gifted physical comedian, which she shows time and time again as she shifts among the various characters in the show.
Gomez also has retained the obvious enjoyment she gets out of performing. She moves through the show with a genuine excitement, almost flirting with the audience to assure them what they'll see next is even better than what they've just witnessed.
It can be assumed she learned much about being an entertainer from her parents. And since entertainment is so entwined with memories of her parents, the two areas of her life seem to flow into each other, for better or worse, as she recalls, for example, rushing to her mother's deathbed during the shooting of her first movie role.
Gomez is most widely known as one of the first openly out lesbian comedians ("B.E. -- Before Ellen," she explains). But the focus of "Los Big Names" is not on her sexuality, although it's an obvious part of her relationship with both her work and her parents -- in fact, early in the show, Willy chats with the audience and asks if there are any women who might be interested in dating his daughter. Again, it's a perfectly executed moment that at once allows Gomez to remain true to herself and to defuse the lesbian issue for any audience members who might be uncomfortable with it.
While Gomez has always been one of the best, "Los Big Names" appears to be the vehicle that will drive her closer to the front of the solo-performer pack.
Pat Craig is the Times theater critic.
THEATER REVIEW
- WHAT: "Los Big Names" by Marga Gomez
- WHEN: Wednesdays-Sundays through Aug. 21
- WHERE: Magic Theatre, Building D, Fort Mason Center, S.F.
- RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes
