Here's a good, brief piece about the original development of Dames: http://unsungbroadway.com/bway-bound-dames-at-sea-makes-a-star-of-bernadette-peters-opening-off-bway-in-1968-video/
I've seen 5 different productions, and worked on another; to me, it always seems to work best when it's at its smallest and cheapest. The point behind the spoof is that these six performers are trying to do the equivalent of an old Warner Brothers musical on a budget of about $50. The old Caffe Cino, where it started, had no set (except for mirror tiles on the wall), an 8x8 foot stage, thrown together thrift-store costumes, very few lights, glitter, and an audience of 50 (at most), mere inches from the actors.
Perhaps, though, it might be best to cut the spoof/satire element for today's audience - the thing that made Peters' performance work so well originally is that she knew that the audience remembered Ruby Keeler from those films. It wasn't so much that Keeler couldn't act, it was that she just didn't act. Her performances are models of dead-inside deadpan. If a modern audience, particularly the kind that go to Broadway musicals, wouldn't be able to recognize a satire (something most Broadway audiences can't do anyway), perhaps a glossier version of the show, with extended dance sequences that do little more for the show than give the cast more exercise, really is the way to go. But I just can't work up much enthusiasm for it...
Updated On: 10/1/15 at 01:10 PM