I saw the show tonight and, as Mengers would probably say, let's dish.
Let's get this out of the way first. I wanted to be fair and I waited until I saw the show to voice my opinion about Midler not knowing her lines. She asked for her lines SEVEN times this evening. Not four. I counted and it was, with 100% certainty, SEVEN. So now, I have this to say: There is really no excuse for it. I understand the script may be under revisions, but most of her lines could be cut up into shorter monologues, as she is mostly telling stories or quick anecdotes about Hollywood/her life. It's not as if this is one, long, flowing 90 minute monologue that is hard to lose track of. For some odd reason, Midler would lose her train of thought mid-story and forget her lines. And she would blank on her lines when the audience would laugh or applaud loudly, as if we threw her off track. There were also plenty of lines that she stumbled on and would start over. I'm not sure if Phyllis was being serious about the earpiece idea, but it would be a hell of a lot better than having her snap out of character to screech "LINE" into the wings as someone barks the line at her. It made for a very disjointed and choppy theatergoing experience.
Now that that is over, I have to say that I enjoyed the show tonight quite a bit. I wish I had bought tickets for later in the run, because once Midler gets her footing and takes the time to cultivate a fully-realized character, she will be ferocious. This is not to say the performance she is currently giving is bad by any stretch of the imagination. When she got rolling and was on point, she was electrically funny, sarcastic, catty, and utterly captivating. Anything and everyone anyone could want from Ms. Midler. The script has no real dramatic arc (it tries to squeeze one dramatic twist in at the end, but it doesn't really work) but it's a gleefully obscenity-laden, frothy text packed with a lot of pretty funny jokes. If you're looking for something with dramatic heft and pull, look elsewhere.
I actually didn't really have much of a problem with the staging (or lackthereof). I did think, however, that it immediately raised the stakes for the caliber that Midler's performance needs to be at. If we are going to watch her sit there the entire time, shifting around every so often, she needs to be completely and totally captivating and dynamic. There is nothing to be distracted by here. It is Midler, a few cigarettes, and a phone. That's it. She is under the microscope from the second the lights come up and she has nothing to hide behind, which makes her ability to know her lines and develop a strong character all the more crucial. The set is nice, though it does look a bit like an OTHER DESERT CITIES rehash, and I liked the subtle but effective lighting.
Overall, it's a very enjoyable evening at the theater, no doubt. And as I said, when Midler is
on, she is ON. And she is fantastic. I imagine audiences who get to see this in the coming weeks are in for a really phenomenal performance from The Divine Miss M. As of now however, she is a bit too concerned with what her next line is to maintain that caliber for the entire 90 minute running time. But she is a legend and to see her live on Broadway is a pretty amazing experience, period.
Complete side note: Midler's vocal inflections sounded so much like Kristen Wiig's Suze Orman impersonation on SNL. Just saying.
Updated On: 4/10/13 at 10:30 PM
