| Let there be light: 'Dirty Blonde' troupers bring legendary Mae West out of darkness July 16, 2002 BY PETER FILICHIA Star-Ledger Staff The show must go on. And it did, at TheatreFest in Montclair, on Sunday afternoon, even though three less intrepid actors might have insisted that it be canceled. For only a few minutes into "Dirty Blonde," Claudia Shear's Broadway hit of two seasons ago, a crucial light blew out, and the stage was virtually thrust into darkness. "Dirty Blonde" is a comedy, and a quite funny one at that. It not only zestfully tells the story of sassy siren Mae West's rise to Hollywood success and infamy, but also relates the tale of two of her greatest fans. Jo, who visits the screen legend's grave on her birthday, meets Charlie, a film librarian who once dined with Ms. West in her dotage. The rule for lighting designers who tackle a comedy is to keep things light and bright. We can presume that that's what Stephen Petrilli planned. But when technology fails, what's a cast to do? Carry on, as Kim Zimmer, Kevin Carolan and Paul Amodeo did to good advantage on Sunday. If the stage was dark, this trio of troupers was going to do its best to light things up. Zimmer does an excellent Mae West impersonation. She adds the requisite three "w's" at the end of "y'know-w-w-w," in that delightful drone that the star used to have. As for her posture, she correctly keeps one arm akimbo, and her shoulders sloshing back and forth as if they're ocean waves on a lazy day. When she doubles as Jo, her hair is pulled back, but her performance isn't. She shows the eagerness of a true fan who is also a level-headed lady all the same. Carolan, with his shirt buttoned up tight to the top, is the complete picture of insecurity. When Ms. West asks him if he likes Chinese food, his head moves up and down so rapidly that he appears to be one of those sports dolls who has a bobbing head on a spring. When he says, "I work at the film section in the public library," he puts a question mark at the end of the line, not a period -- as if he's afraid of what people will think of him. Best of all, he makes an audience feel his intense disappointment when he calls Ms. West the day after they met, fully expecting she'd remember him -- only to find she can't immediately place him. Paul Amodeo supports them both in a multitude of roles, including a flak who must deal with Ms. West's multitude of sins. He's especially amusing when he plays a bowlegged racing tout, as well as a female impersonator who's relaxing on his day off. So, though director A.C. Weary stages the play at a too-leisurely pace, he did get potent performances out of his actors. Yet there is one problem in the casting. Zimmer is about a decade older than Carolan, and if these two are going to forge a romantic relationship -- and that is much of the plot of "Dirty Blonde" -- the differences in their ages would, in real life, be something they'd eventually discuss. The director should have chosen either a younger Jo or an older Charlie -- though the latter would be more likely, given that Weary is Zimmer's husband. But Zimmer seems younger than the proverbial springtime when, as Mae in her prime, she launches into a vaudeville number with great gusto and shows some high-stepping struts. Lucky for theatergoers that this took place right at the edge of the stage --- where the spotlight was shining brightly on her. |