Whether driving on a road trip or flying overseas, travel is something just about everyone can relate to. Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know is a musical that is sure to strike a cord with even the most inexperienced of jetsetters.
Based on Fodor’s best-selling book, this off-Broadway musical lambasts everything from rental cars to cruise ship buffets. Offering a humorous and sometimes disturbing view of travel, the Chromolume Theatre Company showcases their acting and singing talent all while making it’s audience second guess their next excursion.
Before the show even begins, the actors, in character, welcome the audience to their "flight." The ushers present themselves as airline security, checking ladies purses for bombs, while the rest of the cast interacts with their "passengers" ensuring everyone is comfortable. They even going so far as to hand out pillows if need be.
As the play gets underway, viewers are treated to a series of musical numbers involving the highs and lows of travel. While it takes a couple of scenes to get past the extreme characterization of airline personnel and travelers, Secrets eventually settles into a breezy and fun send up of the travel industry and it’s patrons.
Running for just around two hours, this montage of mostly unrelated scenes has three continuous characters that pop up throughout the show. The first one is a businessman who loses his luggage and is forced to wear a towel for his entire trip. The audience is later shown an amusing slideshow of the man climbing mountains, going to Vegas, and visiting other various locations all while towel clad.
Next is the drunken pilot. In each of his scenes, the pilot takes a shot of alcohol and makes an inappropriate announcement to the passengers, as he progressively gets drunker. While funny, it’s enough to make one squirm at the thought of possibly placing their life in the hands of this man.
The third running character is one the audience can most identify with-the frustrated customer on the other end of an automated service call. Whether dealing with a travel agency or a credit card company, everyone can empathize with the man trying to get a hold of a live person while a prerecorded voice repeats, "Your call is important to us."
Of the two acts, the first one was definitely the strongest, as it showcased the funniest and best performed songs.
In Travel Tip #38, which states, "If you divorce and remarry, change your travel agent", Richie Cunningham and Meghan Olson present the audience with the first truly entertaining piece. They energetically portray a couple of well-to-do exes who encounter each other while on vacation, where the woman learns her ex-husband has married a man. While drinking martinis, the man toasts, "Bottom up!" His ex-wife replies, "I don’t want to know the sorted details."
Then there’s Rachel Rawlins Prescott and Andrew Block’s interpretation of an older couple who want to see America first before exploring other countries. This scene is a hoot as the couple list all the disasters they encounter, including an earthquake in San Francisco and traffic in L.A, which ultimately leads them to want to see America last.
Closing out the first act has Richie Cunningham, Meghan Olson and Richard Van Slyke joining Block and Prescott in Buffet. Extolling the virtues of the endless food supply found on many cruise ships, a gambling cowboy exclaims, "You can keep the dice and slots, but food, give me lots!"
Overall it was a light, fun and fast paced evening. Check out Secrets before your next vacation and if you decide you still want to travel after all the disasters you witness, you just might want to give your pilot a breathalyzer before you take off.
Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know runs through April 1 at the Chromolume Theatre Company’s new home, Theatre/Theatre in Los Angeles. For ticket information call 323.938.3700 or visit www.chromolume-theatre.com
Production stills by James Esposito
