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LudmillaSSRqs big time to shine
Ludmilla has finally made it to the stage.
The Russian woman is really just a character created by Sandy Vansuch, who has been going into Ludmilla mode at parties for years.
“I’ve had it in my head for 40 years,” said Vansuch. “She’s a character I’ve been doing a long time, a Russian woman who came here with dreams of being a singing star ... an ‘American Idol’ dropout.”
Vansuch recently created a one-woman show, which she’s titled “Love, Ludmilla.” It will premiere Friday at the Oakland Center for the Arts. “I’ve been doing Ludmilla at parties, and everyone always says I ought to do a show,” she said in a phone interview last week.
“Love, Ludmilla” has no plot. “It’s totally about [Ludmilla’s] life,” said Vansuch. “She talks about the difficulty in coming here and American culture, the American family, American society ... she’s fascinated, for example, that you can advertise drugs on television here and then call and buy them.”
Ludmilla also sings — everything from Broadway tunes to country-western to hip-hop to folk music.
The show also has lots of improvisational humor, including a question and answer session with the audience.
Vansuch is aware of the fame garnered by another famous eastern European who recently visited America with hilarious fish-out-of-water results, but proudly noted, “‘Borat’ came after me.”
She figured the Oakland would be the perfect place for the world premiere — not just because she founded the theater company back in 1986, but because of its acceptance of the new and unusual and the city’s strong ethnic roots. “I knew I’d find a sympathetic audience,” she said.
The nature of “Ludmilla” lends it to tweaking to take advantage of current events or a particular audience. “It’s a work in progress,” said Vansuch, who is targeting church groups and other theaters for performances after the Youngstown run ends.
Ludmilla is actually an amalgamation of people from Vansuch’s life, all rolled into one character. Vansuch’s father was a Russian Orthodox priest, and she obviously closely observed the ethnic quirks of the immigrants he served.
Vansuch moved to Pittsburgh in 2004, where she sings with the Renaissance City Choir and does some theater. She was the executive director of Valley Players in Ligonier, Pa., but stepped down in January.
The 61-year-old said the time is ripe for Ludmilla to finally get her break.
“I figured if I don’t do it now, I never will,” she said.