Are you still looking for the perfect destination for you and your valentine this Wednesday? Look no further than Hart House Theatre, where the UC Follies are staging their latest production, Nine, a musical adaptation of Frederico Fellini’s classic film 8½. As steamy and saucy as it is funny and engaging, Nine heats up the winter air with excellent acting and sizzling singing.

The story (a largely autobiographical account of Fellini’s struggle with writer’s block) follows once-successful Italian film director Guido Contini as he and his wife retreat to a remote spa to rekindle their faltering relationship and his faltering inspiration. Despite the scenic location, Guido, a huge celebrity and hopeless womanizer, finds he can’t escape his tempting ex-mistresses, the paparazzi, or an irate producer hell-bent on getting another script out of Guido. Finding himself tangled in a seemingly inescapable web of conflicting commitments, Guido teeters on the verge of suicide, infidelity and insanity.

Paying homage to the original film, this production makes interesting use of shadow and light-a projector casts suggestive silhouettes onto sheets incorporated into the set-and employs a black-and-white colour scheme, letting strong, energetic performances add colour and vibrancy to the show.

At the centre of this cinematic epic, actor David Pereira was captivating as Guido, delivering a superb performance both physically and vocally. Pereira skillfully solves the crucial puzzle of how to make Contini both a self-centered, incorrigible womanizer and a sympathetic character in a gripping struggle to succeed. Pereira’s skill lies in his ability to play both the comic moments and the gut-wrenching soul searching ones, with just the right balance of Italian bombast and nervous anxiety.

Theatre review
Nine
Directed by Stephen Low
Starring David Pereira, Jenna Simonds
Rating: VVVV

Pereira’s superb vocal performance gave the show the solid core it needed to really wow the audience, and he also nailed his faux-Italian accent, which was a nice surprise.

Terrifically traditional in her role as Guido’s dedicated and ever-forgiving wife Luisa, Jenna Simonds did a great job of showing her character’s transition from impatient suspicion to all-out exasperation once her husband’s many cover stories start unraveling.

Another strong performer was Christine Aziz, who played Sarraghina, the sultry prostitute who (during a flashback) first introduces a young Guido to his biggest vice-sex.

First-time Follies director and choreographer Stephen Low did a good job bringing his vision of a unique music theatre experience to life by laying out a consistent creative design (with multiple aspects referencing the show’s cinematic themes and origins) and extracting professional-quality performances from his talented ensemble of U of T students and recent theatre grads.

While at times the choreography relied a tad too heavily on circle work (I assume it’s a symbolic reference to film reels rolling, or a representation of the circular nature of a frustrated writer’s anxiety) the dancing was fun, fluid and kept the show’s electric energy on high throughout.

The set, fascinating as it is, does have its own small technical issue. While the idea of constructing a sparse set out of bedsheets is a great idea (it both acts as a symbol of sexual temptation and serves as a projection screen) the rod it hung on was visibly bent, which did little to convey the atmosphere of splendor and opulence of the luxurious spa where the action is set. Even such minor adjustments as framing the bedsheet screen with a solid black border, or covering the rod with a decorative trim, would have nipped this minor issue in the bud.

All technicalities aside, the show was deservedly very well received. Judging by the constant laughs and enthusiastic crowd reaction, Nine should make the perfect Valentine’s date for you and yours.

Nine runs Feb 14 to 17 at Hart House Theatre.

Visit www.uofttix.ca for tickets.