Bisceglie's SF Follies is a Refreshing Love Letter to San Francisco
-By Richard Connema, talkinbroadway.com

John Bisceglie, who created the successful revue The San Jose Follies, has now put his sights on San Francisco in a fast, bawdy 90-minute musical revue with some great high glitz that anyone living in this city will be sure to find entertaining. The very talented cast has energy that spills into the audience. The city has Beach Blanket Babylon to lampoon national events, so why not have a satirical revue that pokes fun at city landmarks, attractions, personalities and local events? This is the perfect roast of our city, sometimes called "Baghdad by the Bay."

Fifteen young energy-driven singers and dancers on a small floor light up the show singing new lyrics to old standard tunes. Choreographer Kayvon Kordestani has created outstandingly tight ensemble numbers for the diminutive stage of the theatre. The show is packed with delightful teasing and clever songs presented by this sparkling group of Bay Area performers.

The rapid-pace, all-singing, all-talking, all-dancing production starts with the upbeat "Favorite Son" number from Will Rogers Follies with the whole cast dancing and clapping, and singing new lyrics about the city. This is a rousing opening that is quickly followed by a not-so-politically-correct history of the city that was originally called Yerba Buena ("It was a simple heterosexual place"). It starts with the annihilation of the Ohio natives by arriving Spaniards and winds up with a penniless couple from the Midwest living in the streets, as a bag lady, played realistically by Jujuana ShaRon Williams, croons "Cash Not Care." This same talented singer sprightly sings "We're In the Money" in another segment, parodying the dot com revolution. The dot com sequent has a great takeoff of "Rich Man's Frug" from Sweet Charity, danced excitingly by the cast.

SF Follies has something for everyone, including the history of the Gold Rush (with Christopher John Lindstrom running around like a naked gold miner—don't ask why), the '06 earthquake, the building of the Golden Gate Bridge and its sister the Bay Bridge, the hippie scene (the use of songs from Hair is effective) and the current situation with the BART shootings and tiger attacks at the SF Zoo. All of this is done tongue in cheek with a certain amount of seriousness behind the droll remarks.�

Every diversified neighborhood gets a spoof, including the city itself with "Don't Cry For Me, San Francisco" ("the truth is I can't afford you") and neighborhoods like the Marina (presented to the tune of "Maria"), Noe Valley and Castro ("where everyone is a homo in the neighborhood"). Homosexuals get a nice lampoon about the marriages at city hall before the defeat of Prop 8. George Patrick Scott and Christopher John Lindstrom make a cute couple dressed in light blue tuxes getting married to song "Going to the Chapel."

San Francisco personalities get their share of parody also. Brett Hammon, who actually looks like Mayor Gavin Newsom, is smooth as the current mayor taking a young couple on a tour of the city sights. Brett has terrific vocal chops when singing the gleeful "Popular" with new lyrics ("I'm pop-u-lar in my Prada suit"). He has great charisma coming across to the audience.

Other luminaries get nicely skewered, like Patty Hearst in a song sung nicely by Tenaya Hurst, "(I Get By) With a Little Help From My Friends." Jessica Payne is entertaining as Jan Wahl and Dianne Feinstein. While playing Ms. Feinstein, she joins in a "Charlie's Angels" fantasy with Congressional cohorts Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi. Mandy Wilczynski and Jenna Davi are first class as the female politicians. Ryan McBrearty is hysterically funny singing a takeoff of Gilbert and Sullivan's "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General" ("I am the very model of a modern city meter maid"), posed as an omnipresent parking meter cop. Tiffany Joy in a Latino version of "Hot, Hot, Hot," George Patrick Scott as the wildest dancer you will ever see in Swan Lake, Erica Gerard as TV anchorwoman Wendy Tokuda, and Millie DeBenedet and Jepoy Ramos are all excellent in their various roles.

Sometimes the singers are over-miked for the intimate stage and the lyrics do not come out clearly. However, over time this minor problem should be cleared up.

SF Follies ends on a wonderful nostalgia bit—a lovely piano rendition of "I Left my Heart in San Francisco" playing in the background of flickering black and white footage of many of the events and characters of the past. No commentary, just the tinkling of the piano. It is eloquent moment. The final bit of wistfulness we feel about our city is that, even with its liabilities, we still believe it is our city and we love it.