“It was a great party,” Marliss Ameia declares as “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” moves toward its conclusion. Right she is, as this bio musical does exactly what bio musicals do — it offers the chance for Donna Summer devotees to bop along to their favorite tracks while those who never got the chance to see her live can experience that fantasy second-hand. While the result may be a messy script that doubles as a greatest hits album, strong performances and some interesting creative choices keep the beat going.
The show is staged as Donna Summer giving her final concert, interspersing songs with stories from her life. We open on Diva Donna (a matriarchal Marliss Ameia), who sets up the framework of the show before passing the torch to Disco Donna (Desiré Gaston, a beautiful singer and versatile performer), the younger, more naive version of her that the world fell in love with. We also get occasional glimpses of her childhood in Boston, performed by her youngest incarnation, Duckling Donna (a charmingly eager Jessenia Ingram).
Credit: Casey Gardner Ford
Credit: Casey Gardner Ford
I’ll address the script quickly so we can move on: the book is written by Colman Domingo, Robert Cary, and Des McAnuff. Notably, McAnuff also directed the Broadway production of “Jersey Boys,” which makes all the sense in the world because this musical is arguably just as loosely constructed, with scenes that serve little purpose other than to satisfy bullet points in the Donna Summer biography — and, of course, facilitate the next song. Donna starts the play by equating her life to a series of portraits — it’s an apt metaphor since it denotes artistically framed snap shots with no connective tissue between them.”
But forget all of that, because we’re here to see Donna Summer! The whole reason this musical exists is to give the three actresses playing Donna the chance to embody the Queen of Disco and silence anybody who claims that disco was a lesser art form. The script is not shy about admitting that disco’s main strength was getting people out of their heads and onto their feet. If “Summer” offers a sanitized view of its protagonist’s life (only occasionally diving into some of Donna’s darker experiences), at least it does so honestly and with a 10 kilowatt smile.
Credit: Casey Gardner Ford
Credit: Casey Gardner Ford
The three Donnas all shine in their own ways. Marliss Ameia manages to be both imperious and warm as Diva Donna; Jessenia Ingram brings a bubbly energy as Duckling Donna; Desiré Gaston, however, gets to portray the most growth as Disco Donna, going from eager and naive to jaded and troubled as the script maneuvers through the highs and lows of Summer’s career. She is also notably the only one who does not play a double role — Ameia portrays Summer’s mother in flashbacks, while Ingram portrays her daughter — which draws more attention to her performance, as it is the most singularly focused. All three, of course, are dynamic performers who effortlessly do justice to Donna Summer’s legendary catalog of songs.
Director and choreographer Patdro Harris puts in a lot of work to keep the energy humming. His electric choreography is brought to life with flair by a spirited ensemble, each of whom looks to be having an absolute blast (particularly in the closing number, the energy of which is admittedly infectious). Not only that, but the way that he moves set pieces around to mimic different locations (kudos to Tanya Orellana on the maneuverable set), combined with the ethereal quality of Summer’s music, gives much of the story a dreamlike quality.
The momentum does falter around the midway point as the script begins to drag. The runtime is under two hours, but with no intermission and an aimless narrative, it begins to feel like the production is in need of a disco nap. The second wind comes just before the finale, however, which is just as groove-worthy as anything else in the show.
Credit: Casey Gardner Ford
Credit: Casey Gardner Ford
It’s also fun to see where the production team finds room to play with gender in the show’s design and staging. Alan Yeong and Nicole Clockel’s costumes draw on some of the more androgynous trends of the ‘80s (while, of course, keeping the Donnas glammed to the nines), while Patdro Harris finds places in the choreography for same-sex dance partners to get intimate. These choices almost feel like a tacit apology for the fact that the script offers no acknowledgment for how much the gay community contributed to Donna Summer’s success (save for a very awkwardly timed call-out toward the end of the show).
I concede that a certain amount of messiness is to be expected when writing about a real person’s life. A certain amount of thematic depth would have been nice, but like Diva Donna says, even if the dance club was a plastic utopia, it was a utopia nonetheless. Well, “Summer” might not quite be utopia, but it does make for an entertaining night of music that does an excellent job of showcasing the talents of the performers, and that alone is worth the trip.
THEATER REVIEW
“Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”
Through April 9. $11-$64. Aurora Theater, 128 E. Pike St., Lawrenceville. auroratheatre.com.
Bottom line: An energetic showcase for the music of Donna Summer — and for the talented actresses who portray her.
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