Saw it 3 times, including the 2nd preview, and the penultimate one, on a Sunday, just before it opened. At that one, it was cheered to the top of the house. The audience wouldn't let Buckley and Hatley leave. So much was thrilling about it, so much was misfire. But unlike what someone said, Terri Hands, the director, wasn't some all-thumbs rube. He also did the lighting, which was extraordinary. He made mistakes, bad decisions (not using time/place specificity in design, etc), but they were still artistic decisions. It has the look and feel of a show that came close.
And as many of us have posted repeatedly -- and Ken Mandlebaum writes about -- the mom/daughter stuff was exhiliarating, among the most emotional theater music of the decade. "When There's No One" remains a beautiful, haunting last number for Margaret, simple, very moving, and Buckley brought all of her persusaisve powers to its execution. The show had a heart-breaking center, in the push/pull beteween parent-and child. A kind of universal story. That was ovelooked by many, because the teen stuff veered toward 3rd rate BIRDIE cloning. Never has one show had such a range in terms of quality. But its ambitions were always high, and at least it aimed above the juke box. And then some.
Buckley and Varla did a few numbers not in a basement, but at the Bottom Line. Alas, Buckely was ill prepared (carried music) and with Varla, the values I mentioned above were gone, despite it being well sung. (And I like Varla.) Those scenes were searing, honest, and devoid of camp, so bringing them down to the level of the rest of the show was just sad.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
Updated On: 7/6/05 at 11:51 AM