Hi Sweeties!!!!
Just came back from a FABULOUS evening!
The place was PACKED with celebs and A-List Gay Guys. I think West Hollywood (boy's town here on "the coast") was empty for a couple hours.
But never fear, I well represented my fellow sisters of sappho...well me AND....LILY TOMLIN!!! Yup she was there along with Jane Fonda and Dabney Coleman..
and of course Ms. Dolly .. who got a STANDING OVATION by just taking her seat!
Yes! all those L.A. mannequins came to life faster than Kim Cattrall when Ms. Dolly entered the room and were her slaves for the next few hours.
Fifteen minutes into the show the set broke down and the house lights went up.
Ms Dolly was at the ready. After a few minutes she was handed a microphone and she winged it for about fifteen more minutes. She had the audience on its feet singing the title song. She made about 2500 of L.A's elite drop all pretense and have a rip-roaring good ol' time.
I sat behind Marc Cherry (DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES creator) who looked like happier than kid on Christmas morning.
....
As for the show itself.
First, I have to say WHAT A RELIEF to see a genuine MUSICAL COMEDY that celebrates WOMAN power... not tween power or girl power ... but 100% real world W-O-M-A-N power!
WHOA!!!
Everything fabulous said about the cast is TRUE!
Hilty hits a homeroom with her Doralee.. she is NOT a Parton imitation - inspired by yes, but imitation no. She really digs into the heart of the character and owns it on stage AS MUCH as Parton did on film.
I've long thought that Block is one of most promising singing actresses around. With this performance she moves out of promising column and locks her place under the "one of the best" heading.
She is SO good that she gives a clearer and fuller emotional arc than is actually written on the page. Her skill and talent fills in the gaps. BRAVA.
Allison Janney TOWERS over the entire cast.. not JUST because she must be about fifteen feet tall.. but because... she is SO perfect for the role. You are NEVER going to buy a cd of song stylings by Allison Janney... but she sings IN CHARACTER (more than MANY so-called musical theatre veterans).
You feel for her Violet, laugh with her Violet, root for her Violet, admire her Violet. The only thing that is holding back her performance - I'm sensing - is a lack of confidence. With enough performances under her belt she will be owning her singing time on stage as much as her companions.
The book of the show is pretty good shape. There was only one song that I am sure will be cut.. It is HEART TO HART, for the Roz character. It is an odd number showing the office snoop's already well established love for Hart as well as her inner sexual yearnings - all done in the ladies room!
It takes place JUST as the closing act crisis begins and abruptly stops the momentum.
In fact the entire show starts to lose its footing after the delicious marijuana induced dream sequence.
My feeling is that this where the story as told on film becomes harder to translate on stage. The entire hospital/ stealing the body segment feels like it was left in to meet audience expectations.. but feels confusing, unnecessary and not as funny as it should be. It was the part of the show where I missed "close ups" if that makes sense.
The whole "Ajax Warehouse" plot business from film is reduced to simply waiting for the annual report to arrive to compare it with Hart's secret accounting book. All of this leaves the second act somewhat tension-less and not as dramatic as it should be.
Pat Resnick has more work to do, but the solid parts of her book are gems and she clearly loves these women. So do we.
As for the score...
What a PLEASURE to hear an OPEN HEARTED Broadway score. I can already hear people complain that it is popish, generic and unsophisticated... BUT you can't fake the BIG hearted sound that comes out of that pit and FILLS and EMBRACES the entire theatre with good will and love!
Ok.. I'm rambling now.. but let me finish with a big hats off to Joe Mantello. I know it fashionable to discount his work... but not with me! His vision is BIG and it works BIG TIME.
OK... I'm tired..
What great ones do the less will prattle of
Updated On: 9/21/08 at 02:19 AM
