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With its ethnic humor and ad-libs, you’ll love ‘Ludmilla’
YOUNGSTOWN — Sandy Vansuch has returned to the Youngstown stage under the guise of Ludmilla, who is quite a character.
Ludmilla is a Russian immigrant with a love for the stage. She’s the star of “Love, Ludmilla,” a one-woman show that opened Friday at the Oakland Center for the Arts.
The Oakland is a fitting venue for the world premiere — Vansuch was one of the founding members of the theater company back in the ’80s. She has been living in Pittsburgh for the past several years, where she most recently directed a theater company in Ligonier, Pa.
Vansuch has been going into Ludmilla mode for several decades to amuse her friends, and after all that time, she’s got the woman down pat.
“Love, Ludmilla” doesn’t have a plot. It’s just Ludmilla — a schmaltzy, Slavic sister with a thick accent — enjoying her moment in the spotlight, with just a few props. She talks about her life, makes observations, and most of all, she sings. Ludmilla, you see, is a wannabe singing star, and in Russia, as she points out, there is no “American Idol.”
Ludmilla loves to sing, and the show has about a dozen songs ranging from Broadway to Rosemary Clooney to Patsy Cline.
Vansuch has a fine voice — she’s a member of the Pittsburgh Renaissance City Choir — and her talent always comes through, even though she’s usually singing with accent intact.
Ludmilla has a big personality, and is partial to red hair, green eye shadow and a fair amount of bling. Anyone who comes from an ethnic family will find traces of an aunt or family friend in her — the straight-talking but fun-loving one at the family gatherings, quick with an opinion or a witty remark. She’s got a warm heart but a sharp tongue.
Ludmilla, Vansuch admits, is an amalgamation of the family and church members that surrounded her as a child. Vansuch grew up the daughter of a Russian Orthodox priest.
Ludmilla often refers to her “cousin” with the — tsk, tsk — Americanized name, saying “Sandy” with a careful but pained expression, as if she dislikes the mere sound of it but has to show respect.
“Love, Ludmilla” is a comedy of the family variety, and it would seem to be a natural fit for church groups, luncheons or other gatherings where the ethnic humor would be immediately recognized and best appreciated.
Ludmilla repeatedly calls her show a “verk in progress,” referring to the fact that it hasn’t been perfected and is subject to change.
Friday’s opening night included a lively audience, with plenty of Vansuch’s friends on hand to catch her act. And it worked well, drawing laughter and catcalls from the crowd.
But it also demonstrated that this elevation from party gag to stage show is still, in fact, a work in progress. With some picking and choosing — and some tightening (it easily broke the two-hour mark, with intermission) — it could be shaped into a versatile and adaptable act that could enjoy a long life.
Ludmilla — er, Vansuch — is at her best when she’s ad-libbing, shooting from the cuff, or just plain reacting. That’s when Vansuch really inhabits her creation and gets to the heart of her personality.
A song Vansuch wrote about the plethora of prescription drugs available for the asking in America to cure every ailment was sublime and hilarious. It was delivered perfectly through the innocent eyes of an astonished Ludmilla.
Hopefully, Vansuch can work in more such pieces.
The second act began with a fun segment in which Ludmilla read and responded to questions the audience anonymously wrote on cards during intermission. Vansuch was quick with the one-liners (“Ludmilla, what quality do you look for in a man?” “Money.”)
X“Love, Ludmilla” will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sept. 20. The Oakland is at 220 W. Boardman St., Youngstown. Call (330) 746-0404 for tickets.