Reviewed 1/27/06
Desert Stages is a mystery. They’ve rarely been consistent from show to show in their offerings and quality, but they’ve had their moments of impressiveness. With their current mounting of Joal Paley and Marvin Laird’s hilariously sardonic look at showbiz, Ruthless! the theatre has scored a direct hit. Co-directors Toni Fioramonti and Jonathan Bowersock have gathered an outstanding cast on their tiny Actor’s Café stage that sings and dances their character’s cold little hearts out. They portray their myopic, self-centered charges with glee, and they entertain the hell out of us with their pandering need to entertain us. The bitterness, the irony, the backbiting, and the glitz make this a really fun evening. Some cleverly low budget choices by the designers transform the stage into a few different settings. It’s the kind of chamber musical made for this venue, and DST is making the most of it.
This is a musical about talent and overwhelming desire, about
aspirations and how to deal with obstacles that stand in the way. The fact
that the central star is eight years old doesn’t mean a thing. Show biz is show biz, whether
it’s Broadway or the third grade play. Tina Denmark (double cast and
played on the night I saw it by an infectious Desiree Vaughn)
is the triple-threat tyke who will do anything for the lead, and her plain
Jane mom Judy (Meagan Baca) is happy to play second fiddle
to her talented daughter. When the mysterious diva Sylvia St. Croix (Patrick
L. Salazar) offers to become Tina’s agent, all hell breaks loose.
The first step to stardom is the third grade play directed by the frustrated
former star wannabe Myrna (a show-stealing Amanda Kuchinski).
When Myrna gives the coveted role of Pippi to the show’s backer’s
daughter Louise (a triple cast role played on the second Friday by Olivia
Manning), Sylvia and Tina set about to change those circumstances.
Sylvia’s ulterior motives become more apparent with the arrival of Judy’s
mother, the famed razor-tongued critic Lita Encore (Barbara McBain).
As the events spin out of control, Judy discovers the truth about her bloodline.
Pacing is everything in a satire of this type, and Fioramonti and Bowersock make sure that it’s breakneck. Everyone’s cues are snappily handled, and though the actors move around a little more often than they need in a desire to keep the play visually interesting, that certainly doesn’t hurt the slicing comedy.
Vaughn and Baca are absolute treats. Vaughn can be cloying without being annoying, and she’s great as her character schizophrenically switches tactics. Her voice can sometimes be a bit shrill, but it’s within the boundaries of child star acceptability. Baca plays both of her extremes with conviction, and she has a strong set of pipes that can sometimes become a bit pitchy on her midrange trills. Still, when these two are working each other and the room, they are a force. Salazar, however, is a bit disappointing. In other productions, the role has been cast both with men and women playing the flashy grand dame, but Salazar is a little too overt about his cross-dressing. A better choice would have been a more earnest approach, an “of course I’m a woman” tact. His voice is also all over the map when he tries to belt out of his range. It must be pointed out that when the three “girls” are at each other’s throats, though, the show is a hoot.
Kuchinski plays two of those roles (she is also a rather mannish reporter in Act II) that allow character actresses to take over the show, and that is exactly what she does. A highlight is her homage/lament “Teaching Third Grade,” which features a character arc all of its own. The treat is to watch her when she’s not the center of the scene, because she is one of those rare actresses who can make a laugh out of peripheral activities. McBain is bigger, broader, and bitchier than ever before, and she strikes the perfect chords for her catty part. Manning is funny in her cameo, and Lynzee Paul is as broad as her role calls for as the social climbing Eve.
The set is a joke in itself, and the lighting is impressive in this small space. David Negron’s recorded orchestration is well woven into the production.
Go. Snicker. Laugh. Enjoy. I don’t think I can say it any clearer.
