Garage Theatre’s annual “melodrama” energetic and silly as always

For those unfamiliar with melodrama, on opening night director Rob Young defined it as “basically a cartoon.” That’s not quite right, but it’s fair enough when it comes to the Garage Theatre’s annual season-closer, an episode of Jaime Sweet’s five-part farce concerning the time-traveling adventures of handyman Guillermo Fao (Diana Rodriguez) helping Rod McGirdlebutt (Diana Kaufmann) and ace reporter Dixie Troobaloo (Jess Neptune) forestall the misdeeds of malevolent magician Ian Sidious (Sean Blocker) at Long Beach’s Pike Amusement Park back when there was an actual roller-coaster down by the water and not just that big white latticed thingie we’ve got hovering across Shoreline Drive today. Call it a live-action Looney Tunes in melodrama form.

On offer presently is Part Two, Steam Powered Rocket Ride to the Moon, or…Ground Control to Guillo and Rod, where Sidious is joined by evil(er) genius Lucifer Prince (Josh Riker), who wants to launch children to the moon so they’ll worship him, or something like that. But the plot is beside the point.

To have any chance at success, these “melodramas” probably need not only a completely committed cast — and that this show has, no doubt — but an audience that not only loves silly-and-nothing-but but also fully buys into the participatory spirit — boo/hissing the bad guys, responding to the music cues with pre-ordained character slogans (“Hooray!” for Rod, “Ooo, sequins!” for Tricia La Rue (Curtis Meyer), etc.), etc. I’m a stick in the mud for this kind of thing (although I will gladly toss a few cloth tomatoes at the villains), but the opening-night crowd is always a great one.

But I don’t know what it’s like during the rest of the run. I picture an audience of 7- to 12-year-olds, along with parents who can fully engage on that level, as the sweet spot. To facilitate that possibility, this is the only Garage production that ever has a matinee, although there’s only one this year. There were no children present opening night, despite the fact that this is a family-friendly show by design.

For me, the best onstage element of Steam Powered Rocket Ride to the Moon is the casting of Blocker and Riker. For some reason it’s amusing to have both no-goodniks be rather alike in both appearance and affect. And they’re great with the tomatoes.

Something like Steam Powered Rocket Ride to the Moon is not an acquired taste: you either like it or you don’t. If you do, that means 25% of what Garage Theatre does these days (four shows per year divided by one “melodrama” every autumn) is guaranteed to be your cup of tea. Just cross your fingers that when you buy your ticket you’ll be joined by a theater full of like-minded souls.

Steam Powered Rocket Ride to the Moon, or…Ground Control to Guillo and Rod at the Garage Theatre
Times: Thursday–Saturday 8:00 p.m., plus Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m.
The show runs through December 21 (but no performances Thanksgiving weekend).
Cost: $15–$25 (Thursdays 2-for-1); closing night w/afterparty: $35
Details: thegaragetheatre.org
Venue: The Garage Theatre, 251 E. 7th St., Long Beach