by Gil Benbrook
The beloved, classic TV sitcom "I Love Lucy" ran for six seasons and made household names of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as the married couple Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. Also featured in the series were the comic sidekicks Vivian Vance and William Crowley who played the neighbors of Lucy and Ricky. Together, Ball and Vance would get into a series of comic hijinks over the course of the series' 180 episodes that are still remembered to this day.
In Kim Powers' powerful, one person play Sidekicked, which is set in Vance's dressing room on the night of the show's final taping, Vivan Vance takes center stage to get some things off her chest and to set the record straight. Will she be forever only known as Ethel Mertz? As Lucy's sidekick? She also proclaims, “I’m tired of being second banana. I wanna be first banana.”
Desert Stages presents the local premiere of this 2019 play featuring Lynn Golden as Vance.
Golden is an award-winning Valley actress with 45 years of stage experience, including having appeared in dozens of shows across the Valley. She recently won an ariZoni Award for appearing in another play at Desert Stages, Agatha Christie's Spider's Web, and returns to DST under director Dan Ashlock, Jr., who also directed her in Spider's Web.
Golden took a break between final rehearsals of the show to answer some questions about the play, what it's like playing this famous woman, and what roles she hopes she's most identified with.
For someone who isn’t aware of Sidekicked, what would you tell them it’s about?
Golden: "The show is set on the evening of the taping of the last episode of “I Love Lucy”. Vivian Vance is the actress who played Ethel Mertz, Lucy Ricardo’s neighbor and best friend. An established stage actress and singer, Viv faces a number of dilemmas with how she will deal with life “post-Lucy”. She invites her therapist to her dressing room to share her memories, hopes and fears, especially her fear of being just a tv sidekick forever."
How familiar with Vivian Vance were you before you auditioned?
"I knew as much as everyone else did about her - she was blonde, funny, a faithful friend, and took a back seat to Lucille Ball. What I didn’t know was much about her personal life - her youth in Kansas and New Mexico, her religious zealot mother, her philandering father, her love life, her stage credits and her USO tour experiences. She was such a tortured, talented artist. Both Dan Ashlock, my director, and I have immersed ourselves in a world of 1950s sitcoms and Hollywood. We laugh a lot in rehearsal. We tear up sometimes, too. I think Vivian would have appreciated the process."
What kind of research have you done for the role?
"Oh, gosh. Needless to say there’s plenty of video to watch...even though as a child I watched episodes of “I Love Lucy” on a regular basis. As a character actress, I have always been drawn to comediennes, so Lucy and Viv are like old friends to me. I’ve read the few books in print about Vivian Vance. I’ve also googled every name, show and song mentioned in the show, to at least picture them…and help put an ear worm in my head!"
What do you most and least identify with Vance?
"Like Viv, I love to entertain, love to hear laughter, stir emotions. I try to emulate her style and mannerisms, but in this show more than mimicking her I want folks to understand who she really was through her words. Where Viv and I differ most is probably husbands. She was married four times. I’ve been married to my husband for nearly 29 years, and I am pretty sure I’m going to be a “one and done”! "
What is your favorite moment in the show and why is it your favorite?
"Acting like Lucy, Bill Frawley (Fred Mertz) and Desi Arnaz (Ricky Ricardo) has been the most challenging and fun. Honestly, though, every time Vivian says something sassy, I love her more. But, my favorite moment is at the top of the show when we hear audio of an interview Vivian did with Mike Douglas. Hearing her actual relaxed voice, her honest response to his questions…I feel like she’s there with me, holding my hand backstage. I love her voice so much."
Vance feared she’d be typecast as her character Ethel Mertz in the show. Which characters that you’ve played would you be most feared or most happy to be typecast as and why?
"Well, its known around town that I play a LOT of nuns…and I’m not a Catholic, but convincingly portray one well, apparently! I’m so grateful for those shows, but I look forward to doing more “out of the habit”. I will always love going for a laugh…its my favorite thing onstage. In this show I get to do it all…sing, a little dance, comedy, drama, storytelling…I’d love to do more of all it it in the future."
I Love Lucy premiered over 70 years ago. Why do you think a show about one of its stars is still relevant today?
"I think audiences still don’t always see the human side of actors, especially ones we have cemented as certain characters in our memory. This show pulls back the curtain on someone we all thought we knew. And it returns an audience to a time when some things - divorce, mental health, rivalry - weren’t talked about openly like it is today. So our modern audience can see how Vivian fought her demons and found hope."
What do you hope audiences will take away from seeing Sidekicked at Desert Stages?
"Seeing how incredible Vivian Vance was. How hard she worked, how loving and faithful a friend and co-star she was. How she longed to make an impact in an audience’s lives and be memorable. Everybody “loved Lucy”. Now I hope they will love Viv, too. I know I sure do."
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