'Nine' has visual and musical appeal

'Nine' has visual and musical appeal. Scarborough Music Theatre brings Nine to the stage at the Scarborough Village Theatre RAPH NOGAL

For Guido Contini (Rich Burdett), his moments were with a "lady" he spent time with at age nine, who taught him the ways, and his appreciation, of women. Now 40, Guido has more women in his life than he knows what to do with in Scarborough Music Theatre's first show of the season, Nine, by Arthur Kopit with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston.

From the opening scene of this show, there is beautiful scenery, including a real water feature, and there are beautiful women. They are singing a song of love for Guido, an Italian filmmaker who has been commissioned to make his next film. He has one problem - he doesn't have any ideas for the script.

The plethora of females in his life - his mistresses Carla (Becca Zadorsky) and Claudia (Shannon Lew) and his many admirers - are getting in the way of his productivity; it's also getting in the way of a happy marriage. His wife Luisa (Lynette Fairweather), in a last-ditch effort to save their union, agrees to go with Guido to a spa in Venice, where the story takes place.

But his producer Liliane (Zandee Toovey) and her assistants find him there and demand a script, and not just any script, but a musical, which Toovey and company re-create in the amazing number Folies Bergeres.

Adding to the pressure, Carla has followed him there along with the reporters who are just as interested in his complicated love life as they are his upcoming film.

Guido's enormous ego is hilariously shown in his number Guido's Song, where he flippantly sings about how much easier it would be if there were more of him in the world.

The plot is littered with flashback scenes of Guido's life, highlighted by an impressive performance by a young Guido (Mia Van Wyck-Smart), who was ultimately the one who saves his tormented adult self. It's here we also meet Guido's mother (Elizabeth Van Wyck) and Sarraghina (Dot Routledge) the "lady" who taught him about women.

Down to the wire both personally and professionally, Guido comes up with the novel idea to do a musical about his illustrious love life. However, while it solves one problem, his wife walks away hurt and humiliated. The others soon abandon him as well, portrayed in the beautiful number Be On Your Own, leaving Guido to figure out how to go on with his life.

A light-hearted and funny show about love and reflection, this musical is full of beautiful song and dance numbers and costumes ranging from showgirl-type clothing to ballgowns. It was obviously a challenging show to stage. Almost all of the 22 cast members played multiple roles and had many costume changes.

This show had no small roles and no shortage of talent.

Burdett held his own well amongst his 21 female counterparts. He played Guido with just enough confidence and not too much cockiness so that his character was liked and empathized with.

There were many stand-out females in this cast. Fairweather, Toovey, Lew and Zadorsky all had amazing solos, but the strength in this show truly came from an ensemble effort, including those who played the Italian chambermaids/German spa visitors. The best numbers were when the ladies were performing as a whole in numbers like Be Italian.

Overall, this show had visual and musical appeal and was amazing to watch.

The remaining shows of Nine are Nov. 12 to 14, and 19 to 20 at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Nov. 15 and 21, at the Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston Rd. Tickets are $24 for adults, and $20 for students and seniors on Thursdays and Sundays only. For tickets, call 416-267-9292.