Liz Smith: Boy from Oz

[MabesNY]

Posted: 10/20/03 at 1:39pm

In case you missed Liz Smith's column today, here's what she says about "The Boy from Oz":

October 20, 2003 -- 'BIOGRAPHY LENDS to death a new terror," wrote Oscar Wilde.

At the Imperial Theatre on 49th Street the musical biography of Australia's Peter Allen has lent a new terror to his 1992 death from AIDS. The "terror" is from the theater critics who trounced the new musical, "The Boy From Oz."

Pronouncing the star Hugh Jackman the master of all he surveys, the scribes on the aisle said his material (songwriter Allen's music and his performing and private life) wasn't up to snuff. "Nevermind!" as Gilda would say. And I say, if you can manage a ticket to "The Boy . . ." you will have a riveting and fascinating evening. Even if you agree with the critics that this particular yellow brick road to Oz is a train wreck, you are going to have a wonderful time analyzing and enjoying it all. And hearing Peter Allen's music set to a rather minimalist offering of his life.

Peter Allen was a super charming, funny, gutsy talented guy. He gave exuberant joy to many people in his too short span. He did a lot to advance a heightened, positive gay consciousness. But he was no superstar. Hugh Jackman, whose talent almost overpowers everything around him, is a superstar and he is the most dazzling he-man I've seen on the Broadway stage in years, making all male competitors pale in comparison. He can sing, he can dance, he can change clothes on stage with sizzle, he can flirt, he can fling, he can slide across pianos and he can throw away the lines written for him. He can even convince you he is the tres gay Peter Allen. He is one of the most dynamic and sexy leading men ever!

IF YOU don't want to find out whether actress Isabel Keating can make you believe she is the middle-aged Judy Garland, don't go. (She can.) This actress who was so brilliant playing a vocal idiot savant in the off-Broadway entry "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice," gets away with a spectacular impression that should certainly nominate her for a Tony! You can't take your eyes off of her.

If you don't want to evaluate Stephanie J. Block's turn as the young Liza, don't go. (She is perfectly adequate in the role as offered, since a performer showing true Liza voltage might rip apart this musical.) I loved Beth Fowler as Peter's supportive Australian mother and the sentiment and simplicity of her portrayal impressed me. (There's a big nationalistic salute to Australia in this show and they get away with it and waving the flag.)

Big kudos to the young Peter as acrobatically assayed by Mitchel David Federan and to Michael Mulheren who plays both Peter's drunken abusive father and later his abrasively adorable agent Dee Anthony.

Anybody trying to offer a musical re-creation of a real life is facing humongous odds. Producers Ben Gannon and Robert Fox are two of the best men in the business. They avoided adding a list of 100s of other producers and went out on the high-wire alone to make their decisions. I think they've bowled well through a sticky wicket.

Just as in the case of the more low-brow "Mamma Mia!" I suppose the true verdict on "The Boy From Oz" will come from the ticket-buying public. So far that public has adored this show which turns upbeat, joyous and riotous in spite of itself. There is a $10 million advance sale and I predict it will soon be surpassed. If you like theater - even less than perfect theater -you'll love your night with "The Boy From Oz."

And you'll never forgive yourself if you miss Hugh Jackman, superstar!

[PigletH13]

Posted: 10/20/03 at 2:02pm

How great is she! And Cindy Adams too. Wait...and Joy Behar! Who mentioned it on The View on Friday.

Glad they had so much fun at the show!

[thebigkrakowski]

Posted: 10/20/03 at 5:52pm

Seems like she dissed Stephanie Block. "Perfectly adequate"? That's sort of backhanded, don't you think?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/20/03 at 6:54pm

Oh what a piece of homophobic work is Liz Smith! Hugh's a "he-man?" What does Liz, an obvious man-she, mean by that?

And, speaking of Allen, did she actually write, "He did a lot to advance a heightened, positive gay consciousness." HE DID? Did he ever officially even come out as gay? Or is it one of those things that nobody ever had to say out loud because "everybody knows already anyway," which I believe was Liz's excuse for never coming out as a Big Ol' Dyke (and I say that with love). Still, would love to hear her definition of "A lot." I can think of the fact that Allen co-wrote a song with Michael Callen, a brave OPENLY GAY singer/songwriter who was one of the first public faces of AIDS. And that's about it.

If you think I'm being too hard on Liz, keep in mind she was recently on a panel on Larry King that tried to de-gay Rock Hudson, including Tony Randall. The "he-man" issue came up there too. Pitiful, pitiful stuff.

[jo]

Posted: 10/20/03 at 8:05pm

That Hugh Jackman is reason enough to see this show - I won't argue with that!

The show sounds fun and entertaining - I hope people will also come for this reason !


Jo

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 10/20/03 at 11:12pm

If you can pick up the NEW YORKER this week, check out Hilton Als review of THE BOY FROM OZ. Very sharp, critical and funny.

He describes Hugh (as Allen) as "Ann Miller in a Hawaiian Shirt."

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/20/03 at 11:14pm

But does the review mention that Peter "did a lot to advance a heightened, positive gay consciousness?" Sounds like Liz did some blotter acid before her night at Boy from Oz.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 10/21/03 at 12:07am

Peter did a lot for Australia that we may not be aware of. He was one of the first people do write an AIDS anthem... Love Don't Need a Reason.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/21/03 at 9:02am

That's the song I meant. "Love Don't Need a Reason." I'm wondering if Liz Smith meant that writing that song was doing "a lot?" And actually, although Allen gets credited for writing it, he co-wrote it with proud and outspoken gay/AIDS activist Michael Callen and Marsha Malamet. Callen was on a very early Phil Donahue episode about AIDS when it was brand new, and was open about having been diagnosed with AIDS. Allen never did that. Callen formed the out and proud and very talented acapella group, The Flirtations, and he recorded two incredible solo albums, Purple Heart and Legacy. These songs have actual great anthems about living through the epidemic (and they're lots of fun). "Love Don't Need a Reason" is a pretty awful song, and I even told Callen that when I got to know him. He was capable of so much more, and he proved it. Allen never did, in my opinion, because he wasn't capable of it.

My point is that Liz is using history to make a certain person more of a gay hero than he ever was, and there are very real heroes, like Callen, that she overlooks.

[sheekala]

Posted: 10/21/03 at 9:37am

Bravo Namo, Callen was a gift. Liz is such a blight to the already vapid gossip world.Her clueless ramblings should be quieted.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 10/21/03 at 9:43am

As wonderful as Michael Callen was, I don't think that his talents were as widely accepted as Peter Allens. Not to diminish him in anyway, as I have all his Flirtation CDs and some collections with his songs.
I think that maybe (and I am no fan of Liz.. hell! I do not even read her) she is trying to say that Peter Allen was liked by all sorts of people. Blue Hairs and Blue Collars alike. Maybe not the degree he was in Australia but he was popular. My parents adored him (They were white collar) and I have one of my best friends from New Zealand/Australia whose father was a foreman in the mines and he loved him. He said to her once that Eveyone knew he was a poof but we did not care cause he had talent. He told her it made him realize that it was okay to like people who were gay and that it did not matter if he was or not cause he had talent.

[Bway Petey]

Posted: 10/21/03 at 9:44am

Hey Mabes...

You may want to know (or at least RobD may want to know) that it's illegal to post an entire story like that.

Petey

[Unknown User]

Posted: 10/21/03 at 9:46am

it is? Why? It is a message board and he gave her all the credit....

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 10/21/03 at 9:51am

Wow. Thanks for that, Namo.

Your point about Allen never having Callen's guts is well-taken.

[Bway Petey]

Posted: 10/21/03 at 9:55am

You can only take a percentage of a story. Not sure of the exact copyright law, but Rob probably knows it. Rob? Oh, and WHY? Well, because Liz Smith owns her writing! Updated On: 10/21/03 at 09:55 AM

[MabesNY]

Posted: 10/21/03 at 10:24am

Oh wow, Bway Petey, I didn't know that. I thought it was legal as long as a credit is included. I would have posted a link to the article like others do but I didn't know how. Can you help clarify, RobD? Thanks!