Y-Players swing snappily into zoot suit musical

A two-act cabaret production of colorful costumes, snappy dialogue and rousing piano music of songs of the late 1930s and 1940s is playing at the Bangor-Brewer YWCA, through April 30.

Director Pam Martin of Brewer has choreographed and designed this year’s Y-Players production, “Zoot Suit Riot,” for 14 performers who, for the most part, were teen-agers or young adults during the big-band musical era.

“They have paid for their own costumes and put their hearts and souls into this production for the past five months,” Martin said.

The show opens at a speak-easy, Ruby’s Place — The Pink Flamingo, with a cigarette girl floating among seven small tables at the foot of the stage. Her wares are miniature boxes of cereal, not the real thing. Her ruffled red satin dress and black accessories set the tone for other cast members parading onto the stage area and singing a musical medley of “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Looking Good But Feeling Bad” and “Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do.”

The costumes were a colorful mix, from the society dames, Mrs. Shontaine and Mrs. Monscraft (Julie Fish and Judy LeClair), wearing bright royal blue and aqua lace gowns and furs, to the police sergeant in a trench coat and fedora. Flashy Mrs. Devereaux the Movie Star (Marion Tozier) was decked out in a black and white lace gown, topped with a plumed headdress.

Martin, as Ruby, dressed in a gold turban and black lame, did a stand-up routine to warm up the audience before she went into the first number, an entertaining burlesque ballad, “Find Out What They Want,” which garnered many chuckles.

“You girls probably wrote the book,” she sang, “but I’m the only one in town who read it.” Among the highlights were the routines of chorus girls, Bunny and Sissy, decked out in short costumes, who sang “We’re in the Money,” “Three Little Fishes” (complete with yellow “fish” mittens and an animated dance number), and “Five Foot Two.”

Marie Miller, as “Mack,” costumed in black with red suspenders, fedora and chaps, sang a tender rendition of “One for the Road,” Frank Sinatra’s well-known cocktail-bar ballad.

Donald Miller as Sarge gave a heartfelt version of “You Can’t Take That Away From Me,” as he serenaded Martin’s character, Ruby, which was followed by Marion Tozier of Bucksport, who made her Y-Players debut as “Ms. Devereaux,” the movie-musical star. Singing in a clear soprano voice, she delivered a well-received version of “S’Wonderful.”

Martin sang again, this time giving a hilarious version of Fats Waller’s “Honeysuckle Rose,” while ruffling the hair of a man seated at a front-row table. “You havin’ palpitations yet?” Martin crooned to the man. The audience howled.

The audience got to sing along to the chorus girls’ routine of “Three Little Fishes,” as Brown and Nutter did a “hand-dance” with hip shaking that was as funny as the Macarena.

Pat Turner, playing a cleaning lady who metamorphosed into a red lame-clad diva, sang a solid version of “That Old Black Magic,” followed by Martin who delivered a vampy rendition of an old Kansas City standby, “Your Feet’s Too Big.” Sherry Canarr performed a charming 1930s “sweetheart” song, “Cwarence,” before the group broke for intermission.

In the second act, the players created a stir, wearing a riot of colors. They entered the gym wearing zoot suits in shades of acid green, shocking pink, deep purple, rose and rust, each with a different geometric design. Each player sported a fedora adorned with a huge feather plume, gloves and spats, all matching, but in contrasting colors to the suits. A long gold chain looped down the front of each suit.

Martin’s zoot suit was bright slicker yellow, with checkered, black-sequined lapels and cuffs. “If you can’t hide it, decorate it!” she said to a full house.

The players seated themselves in a row, and proceeded to perform in unison hand movements to Cab Calloway’s music — in a theatrical style similar to the American minstrel show.

In keeping with that model, several of the women got up at various intervals to perform a soft-shoe routine or hip-swaying dance at center stage, to the delight of the audience. The finale of the second act was a conga line and a swing dance number with members of the audience, danced to the boogie-woogie song, “Zoot Suit Riot.”

The Y-Players are Anna Wareing, Barbara Urquhart, Pat Turner, Pat Brown, Marilyn Hodsdon, Pam Martin, Julie Fish, Marie Miller, Sherry Canarr, Barbara Nutter, Angela Phillips, Dody Simpson, Marion Tozier, Judy LeClair and Donald Miller. Costume preparations were by Pat Buttons of Levant, Nicole Turner of Brewer and Linda Rose of Gardiner.

Proceeds from the event will support YWCA programming, including the ENCORE Plus Breast Cancer Program.

Other performances will be held at the Bangor-Brewer YWCA at 10 a.m. April 25, 7 p.m. April 28, and 2 p.m. April 30. For information contact Pam Martin at 989-5442.