To describe the Great American Melodrama’s latest offering as based on a true story would be an overstatement. But a quick Google search on the show’s time and place—between 1849 and 1850 in Rough and Ready, California—reveals that much of its hilarity is historically accurate.
Founded by a flock of hopeful prospectors from Wisconsin during the California Gold Rush, the town of Rough and Ready was briefly known as the Great Republic of Rough and Ready, after seceding from the union in order to avoid mining taxes.
The concept of a town with a total area of less than 4 miles becoming its own country for the span of less than four months feels stranger than fiction, and the Great American Melodrama dials that absurdity up to 11 in Gold Fever at the Rough and Ready, which runs through Sept. 9 at the Oceano venue.
Written by Neal LaVine and directed by Natasha Harris, the two-act show follows an ensemble cast of characters who become entangled in a zany McGuffin plot. The McGuffin: a large gold nugget, proudly displayed in the town’s saloon under the protection of Bartley Townsend (played by Cameron Parker), a clumsy but well-meaning sheriff.
Before becoming property of the town, the nugget belonged to a burly, bearded miner by the name of Scabby Jones (played by understudy Noah Esquivel in the show I attended). During an earthquake, Scabby’s mine caves in on him. His remains—minus his hat and seamlessly detached facial hair—are never recovered.
Not long after Scabby’s death, a blind woman wanders into the town of Rough and Ready and identifies herself as the late miner’s daughter, Eugenia Jones (Elizabeth Martinie). Townsend quickly becomes smitten with Eugenia, although his affections prior to her arrival were reserved strictly for saloon owner and entertainer Lotta Crabtree (Meggie Siegrist).
While the sheriff becomes the center of an inevitable love triangle, another new face in town, Phileas Cramner (Esquivel) aims to exploit the mining area’s resources and trick residents into paying him a 50 percent cut of their earnings.
Regulars at the Great American Melodrama won’t be surprised by the way in which Cramner’s attire and appearance complement his dastardly demeanor. The top hat and handlebar mustache amp up the crowd when it’s time to boo or hiss at the villain.
Michael Wells is the actor regularly billed as both Cramner and Scabby. While I can’t comment on his performance, having only seen Esquivel in the two roles, what I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed Esquivel’s takes on both characters, who couldn’t be more different than one another, except in terms of height. I could have used even more of Scabby, to be honest. He’s a lovable lug with a heart of—dare I say it—gold.
Other standouts in the cast include Toby Tropper as E.F. Brundage, the colonel who was elected as the first and only president of the short-lived Republic of Rough and Ready. Tropper plays Brundage with plenty of stupor and is also memorable as a silly park ranger during the Melodrama’s latest vaudeville review, The Great Outdoors, which follows every performance of Gold Fever.
The camp-themed vaudeville segment is full of dance numbers and musical parodies. I won’t spoil all the songs that get spoofed, but fans of La La Land are in for a treat.
The only prescription for Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood’s gold fever is more cowbell. Send some more cowbell to [email protected].
