Nicholson Ranch Players from left to right, Kerry Daly, Jaime Love, Nancy Vandegrift, Julia Holsworth, will be performing in “The Mrs. I Mean Ms. All American Housewife Pageant ‘77.” Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
It’s almost too easy to ridicule beauty pageants. The TV broadcast itself offers a plethora of comedic material: a past-his-prime, microphone-wielding host; an anachronistic talent competition that’s certain to resurrect the fine art of interpretive dance; and all that parading around of lovely – but starving – contestants.
It’s truly icing on the cake when a contestant is disqualified for partaking in contraband while frequenting a biker bar, or when a reigning queen is dethroned because of a Penthouse photo-spread.
Wine Women and Song, a branch of The Nicholson Ranch Players, decided to delve into the zany pageant experience.
Talented actor/writers Julia Holsworth and Jaime Love were inspired by their co-star Nancy Vandegrift’s hysterical tales from the time she spent as a pageant promoter in the late ‘70s. The result is an uproarious musical review titled, “The Mrs. I Mean Ms. All American Housewife Pageant ‘77,” which will run July 12-15 at Nicholson Ranch Winery in Sonoma.
Audience participation is crucial to the musical, and audience members will have the opportunity to act as actual pageant judges. Those who wish to join in on the fun will be provided with front-row seats and their own ballots. An actual “winner” will be chosen every night. Selected women in the audience will also be invited to participate in other aspects of this lighthearted evening. The show will be different every night, so audiences should expect the unexpected.
“Poking fun at American beauty pageants came to me in a dream. I woke up laughing and said to myself, ‘Wow, that’s our summer show,’” said Love. “We have Mrs. Tennessee, a former baton flame-thrower, Mrs. Michigan, a member of the local Moose Lodge who likes crafts, Mrs. Connecticut, a wonderfully peppy preppie, and Mrs. Nevada … named Pinky Tuscadero.”
It’s a true love of theatre that drives the married-with-children writing duo to also serve as co-producers, co-directors and to take on meaty roles.
Love is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York who found herself moving around the country doing the supper club circuit and lots of voice-over work. It took settling down in Sonoma in 1995 with her husband and children for her to immerse herself in her true passion: theater. Her roles in local productions include playing Audrey opposite her husband’s Seymour in “Little Shop of Horrors” and roles in “Our Town,” “Valley Girls,” and “Gypsy.”
“Jaime Love and I met in 1999 during a production of ‘Barnum’ at the Sonoma Community Center, where I was in the show, and Jaime, who was pregnant at the time, was doing PR,” explained Holsworth. “We became instant friends, and shared the stage in ‘Gypsy,’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and spent (and still do spend) a lot of time talking (about) kids, as my children are older than hers, and she thought I had experience in parenting!”
Julia Holsworth studied music since age four and has been on stage acting since age six. In between theatrical gigs with the Sonoma Reader’s Theater, Sonoma Shakespeare, Murphy’s Players, Theater at the Center and the Nicholson Ranch Players, she is a teacher. This year, she directed, choreographed and produced all of the school productions at The Merryhill School in Santa Rosa. Her son, Niko Skuljan, recently appeared in the Experiential Theater Company’s “Future-Perfect-Tense.”
A virtual Who’s Who of Sonoma’s performing arts scene will join in on all the musical madness. Kerry Daly, the lead singer in the Madison Blues Band, Kathryn Del Chiaro, Rich Holsworth, Stan Pappas (in the Bert Parks role) and tap dancer Scott Sherman round out the cast. The show’s musical director is Sherrill Peterson.
Nicholson Ranch proprietor Ramona Nicholson met Love in Lamaze class in l995 and they have been friends ever since. The first time Love went to the Nicholson house, they danced around the winery’s Greek-style ampitheater with their young boys and Love proclaimed that she just “had to do theater in this lovely spot.”
It was surrounded by llamas and mountains; the former Michigan girl found that she could hardly contain herself. Nicholson promised then and there that when she built her winery, Love could put on her shows. Love said that Nicholson has always been incredibly indulgent of her wacky ideas.
“The Mrs. I Mean Ms. All American Housewife Pageant ‘77,” runs Thursday, Friday and Sunday, July 12, 13 and 15 at 8 p.m. in the Fountain Courtyard of the Nicholson Ranch Winery, 4160 Napa Rd. Come early and enjoy the sounds of the ‘70s, with dessert and wine available for purchase. Tickets cost $25 for front-row seating with one glass of Nicholson Ranch wine, general admission is $18. Tickets are available in the winery tasting room, at Sonoma Valley Music or by calling 707.996.9207.
