Review: BOTTLESHOCK! THE MUSICAL at CCAE Theatricals

BOTTLESHOCK! THE MUSICAL at CCAE Theatricals brings the beauty of Napa Valley and the tale of the underdog winery that took Paris and the world of wine by storm in the summer of 1976. This original musical has some beautifully sung numbers, an abundance of heart, and also some wine-tasting options if you really want to feel immersive.  BOTTLESHOCK! THE MUSICAL is running through July 23rd at California Center for the Arts in Escondido. 

The show opens with a Paris-based, English wine expert named Steven Spurrier (Louis Pardo) who has come to California looking for wine.  He has poor regard for California wines, he should know he not only wrote the book on it but quotes himself as well.  He is there looking for some wines to use in an upcoming blind taste test for the top wine conouissours in Paris.

He arrives at a winery run by Jim Barrett (T.J. Mannix) a lawyer turned winemaker, his son Bo (Will Riddle), and one of the winery's main employees Gustavo ( Patrick Ortiz).  Barrett is suspicious of Spurrier’s motives but soon helps him set up some wine tasting for his and other nearby wineries.  An added complication comes in the form of a beautiful intern from UC Davis named Samantha (Emma Degerstedt), who is passionate about wine, but may also be a distraction to Bo and Gustavo.

In addition, mirroring the question of if the wine is mature and complex enough to hold its own, Bo finds himself in a similar situation trying to win the respect of his father Jim.  Meanwhile, Gustavo is also torn about wine, since he’s been secretly making his own on the side when not working at his job.

Everyone blows off steam at Jo’s Bar, where Jo (Taylor Renee Henderson) and her bar seem to be a place for fun, and life lessons all at the same time.  

Pardo as Spurrier is delightful as the snobbish wine connoisseur, and incredibly entertaining as he looks down his nose at everyone in the beginning, to the final competition in Paris.  Ortiz is charming as the gifted vinter who has a connection to the land. Riddle gives Bo a convincing character arc as the hippie son who is more interested in women than wine, but who slowly comes around. 

There are some standout numbers, including Degerstedt’s reflective  “Summer In A Bottle,” Bo’s “Dyin’ On The Vine,” and Gus’s first act closer “In The Blood.”   

Directed by J. Scott Lapp, the show has a spectacular lighting design by Zach Blane, and the set design by Jo Winiarski brings a piece of a Napa winery convincingly to the stage.  

The band led by Taylor Peckham, is excellent and it should always be celebrated to see live musicians in the orchestra of a theatre.  Though the music by Charles Vincent Burwell and James D. Sasser is melodic and pretty, nothing has the staying power that will leave you humming when you leave the theatre.

Following the 2008 movie fairly closely, the plot is a charming, if thin, underdog story.  The plot feels less substantial than it should, and a bit weighed down by the overwhelming earnestness. The program does have a direction to additional resources if you want to learn the more factual timeline of events, versus the beloved if more "Hollywood fairytale” version of the movie.

The musical celebrates the wineries and their accomplishments and even brings a variety of wine-tasting events for the audience to experience as well, from local wineries and the ones featured in the show.

BOTTLESHOCK! THE MUSICAL opens with the Gallielo quote “Wine is sunlight held together by water,” and this show is similar, it is sunny and sweet and held together with the affection it has for its subject. 

How To Get Tickets

BOTTLESHOCK! THE MUSICAL is running through July 23rd at California Center for the Arts in Escondido. For ticket and showtime information go to www.artcenter.org 

Photo Credit: The cast of  BOTTLESHOCK! THE MUSICAL Courtesy of CCAE Theatricals

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