A parody of you

Suzie Harrison

If one listens closely, a buzzing sound can be heard around town.

Moving closer to better hear what is being said, one might ponder if

they could be misunderstanding the words. It almost seems silly --

the utterances sound like crazy stories about goats, contraband

calendars put out by the Police Department and other weird

happenings.

And that’s not all -- the murmurs continued with tales of the

Pageant of the Masters going on tour, men singing and dancing in

drag, something about Police Chief Jim Spreine and the Montage Resort

and a bunch of other little idiosyncratic happenings.

Consulting one’s calendar all this nonsense starts to make sense

-- people have not gone insane, they’re just whirring about

“Lagunatics” -- the uber-popular, annual, wacky musical that both

toasts and roasts life in Laguna Beach.

Bree Burgess Rosen founded “Lagunatics” in 1992 and has kept it

fueled ever since. It is a sell-out every year with a cast featuring

local celebrities including City Council members, town dignitaries,

to talents who have performed on Broadway, premiere spots in Las

Vegas and Southern California’s premier theaters.

“‘Lagunatics’ is a toast to the quirky foibles of Laguna Beach,”

Rosen said. “The show also pokes fun at topical issues with

outrageously ridiculous costumes and music from operetta, smash hit

musicals and pop songs.”

These songs have been rewritten in parody by Rosen, Michael

O’Malley, Adam Hemming, Paul Leighton Nygro, Judy-Atkin Palmer and

Chris Quilter.

At a recent rehearsal, goat sounds could be heard as the

performers were working on their parody about Laguna’s goats to the

song “Fire.”

Rosen explained that the goats spent three weeks practically at

her house. At first when she heard their calls, which can sound like

a human cry -- she thought it was someone who must be intoxicated.

When she went out and saw that it was the goats, she and her husband

poured a glass of wine and watched them do their thing ... graze and

protect the neighborhood from fire danger.

“We’re having a lot of fun with everyone pitching in,” Rosen said.

Everything is new except the opening number, which was the same as

‘97.”

Rosen said that she comes up with the topic be it parking or

traffic or whatever and then she matches up a song title with the

idea. The results are hilarious.

In a poke at Laguna’s meter maids, the song “Three Little Maids

From School” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado,” Becomes “Three

Meter Maids Who Rule,” featuring Spreine and three unlikely sopranos

Rosen explained.

Anyone who lives in Laguna Beach knows the nicknames of those who

live way far from civilization -- in the canyon.

“Philip Burkhardt wrote a song about Canyon Acres to ‘Green Acres’

because everyone thinks that’s the sticks,” Rosen said.

The cast is as diverse as the topics and song list, Rosen said

that there’s a nurse, a wine specialist, a psychiatrist, an attorney,

hairdressers and marketing executives just to name a few.

“All we need is a pharmacist,” Rosen said.

Other fuel for fodder includes the Halloween classic, “The Monster

Mash” becoming “The Montage Cash.” And when everyone was in disbelief

that the city could be doing construction at the peak of tourist

season and traffic they have put together a number to “Try to

Remember.”

She sang a couple of notes and said, “Try to remember to wait to

September ... “

“We get most of our ideas from the newspapers,” Rosen said.

She laughed about the fact that there will be a number spoofing

the fact that there are three newspapers in town. She said come on

there are only 25,000 in Laguna Beach, do we really need three

newspapers? That piece is called “My Three Inches.”

“This year we have more straight guys than gay guys in the drag

numbers,” Rosen said.

Some of whom went on a shopping expedition and created quite a

stir when they were shopping for shoes and dresses.

“One of my favorites is the “Three Way on Cliff Drive,” Rosen

said. “They’ll be dressed up as stop signs and [performing to] ‘Stop

in the Name of Love.’”

She said that from headlines outside the zip code, those Texas

foot-in-mouth gals get a send up as the “Chicksie Dicks,” featuring

three local favorites with slightly higher testosterone levels than

the country and western superstars.

The list of laughs goes on and on with 16 numbers in Act I and 15

in Act II, it’s doubtful that anyone will be able to come up for air.

But it’s not completely all laughs -- over the years the show has

contributed more than $350,000 to local charities.

Rosen announced that next year there will be a special treat --

when “Lagunatics” moves its performance to the beloved Pageant of the

Masters bowl.

This year it will be performed at the Forum Theater on the

Festival of Arts Grounds at 650 Laguna Canyon Road. The show will run

Oct. 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 with tickets ranging from $30

to $45 with the Gala on Oct. 19 priced at $65. Curtains are at 8 p.m.

except for the two Sunday performances, which have a 7 p.m. curtain.

The Gala reception will begin at 6 p.m. For information or to

purchase tickets, call (949) 497-2584 or visit www.lagunatics.info.