Three Women... With Different Results.

[VeuveClicquot]

Posted: 10/17/06 at 4:02am

I saw three shows this week, all with strong women. I think it is an interesting juxtoposition to compare them.

On Wednesday, I saw "My Name is Rachel Corrie." Wow, this show had a lot of baggage going into it. The whole Israel/Palestinine conflict notwithstanding, there was a whole NYTW business dumped on top of it. Let me tell you, this play simply doesn't deserve the whole shanda that happened. My gut feeling? NYTW didn't produce it because it is a lousy play. I found it dull. Not because of its politics, but because it was culled from journals and diary entries that were excruciatingly boring. You know the joke about Anne Frank? "She's in the ATTIC." During the entire "Rachel Corrie" play, I was screaming to myself, "Bulldoze the bitch."

On Friday, I saw "My Deah", a Southern version of Medea written by John Epperson, a/k/a Lypsinka. Again, yuck. Epperson missed the point. He was trying to write a Charles Ludlum/Charles Busch play, and got nothing right. "My Deah" was played by Nancy Opel, who is generally a terrific actress, but in this case, when playing a drag queen, she failed completely.

Fortunately, the third "queen" proved to be wonderful. "Mimi Le Duck" is flawed. But even with its flaws, it's the best new musical I've personally seen in 20 years. The score is nothing short of sensational. Both lyric and music come together to tell a story that is moving and powerful. Annie Golden is devestating, and Eartha Kitt proves once again that she was no one hit wonder. Honestly, it is quite the show.

Three different women. Three different shows. An interesting week.

My advice? Get thee to "Mimi Le Duck."

Updated On: 10/17/06 at 04:02 AM

[deloverly]

Posted: 10/17/06 at 11:21am

How was Megan Dodds in Rachel?