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| BROADWAY OUR WAY: VALLEY OF THE DIVAS 2008 |
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Uptown Theatre switches the roles and does Broadway its way by Lawson Taitte, Dallas Morning News 1/12/2008 ©2008 Most of the material this time around in Uptown Players' annual fundraising revue debuted in the last five years. Imagine four women posturing in macho fashion in The Jersey Boys' "Walk Like a Man. " One rationale for the cross-gender exchange is that it gives the performers a chance to perform material they've always wanted to try. This year, voices and material are ideally suited. Most of the numbers give considerable musical pleasure. Director Andi Allen allots herself "A Little Bit of Good," Mary Sunshine's falsetto ditty from Chicago. Dressed as Glinda the Good, Ms. Allen bounces her voice up and down, from alarming heights to baritonal depths, hilariously. Sara Shelby-Martin's "Shiksa Goddess" from The Last Five Years, Jeff Kinman's "I'm Here" from The Color Purple and Stacey Oristano's "Be a Dentist" from Little Shop of Horrors are all sensational performances. Joshua Doss does almost as well with Little Women's "Astonishing". It's great to see and hear Amy Stevenson back onstage; her "Anthem" from Chess, combining a trumpet's power and a violin's sweetness, once again shows she can sing almost anybody in town offstage. Patty Breckenridge impresses anytime she sings a note in "I'll Be Here" from The Wild Party. This Broadway Our Way is the only place in town you'll hear four numbers from Legally Blonde, all terrific. Host Paul J. Williams dons drag to sing "Revolutionary Costume" from Grey Gardens. And Young Frankenstein has only been on Broadway a few months, but Tony Martin sails through "He Vas My Boyfriend" as if he were Marlene Dietrich brought back to life. Camp for Big Kids! by Christopher Soden, EDGE Dallas 1/17/2008 ©2008 Imagine a Theatre Camp with actors, singers, dancers, directors, choreographers, musicians, all bright and buzzy and at the top of their game. Imagine the manic energy it would take to coordinate such an event in a week or less and the result would be Uptown Players' annual fundraiser. BOW has the raucous feel of spontaneous musical revue at its best. It is hosted for the second time by character actor and stand-up comic Paul J. Williams, a marvelous performer in his own right and a drag comedian of epic proportions. Williams' performance of "Revolutionary Costume" from Grey Gardens was absolutely priceless. One might expect some of these numbers like, "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now", from Hairspray to be campy, campy, campy but not so. I was surprised at how well it worked when the men simply gave it authenticity and aplomb. In addition to "Mama...," there were numerous pieces worthy of notice. Stacey Oristano as the Dominatrix Nurse from Hell was hysterically funny in her demented delivery of the twisted classic, "Be a Dentist" from Little Shop of Horrors. Props to the male cast members who gave us the best of their urban side in Legally Blonde's "Bend and Snap" and whoever decided to cast the guys (John de los Santos, Kevin Moore, Cameron McElyea) as escorts in "Easy Street" from Annie, deserves kudos and then some. Cameron McElyea was great, trashy fun in "Flushed Down the Pipes" from The Great American Trailer Park Musical, and Coy Covington and Tony Martin brought down the house with Bingo's "Gentleman Caller." The ladies were hilarious in "There! Right! There!" from Legally Blonde, as a slew of "hunting buddies." Andi Allen was by far the best Glinda the Good Witch I've ever seen, singing "A Little Bit of Good" from Chicago. Sara Shelby-Martin and Linda Leonard were touching and amusing in Little by Little's "Popcorn" and using Sara, Patty Breckenridge, Beth Albright and Amy Stevenson for "Walk Like a Man" (from Jersey Boys) was inspired. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about wedding Linda Leonard's glorious "Singin' in the Rain" to three flashers with spritz bottles but yes, I was losing it with the rest of the audience. Choreographer John de Los Santos and Director Andi Allen deserve special credit for pulling together this show while under the gun. Ms. Allen came up with witty, cogent touches and arrangements for each piece, keeping the proceedings clever, avid and varied. Mr. de Los Santos had his work cut out for him, and he came through like a champ. The dance numbers are imaginative, riveting, intuitive and well-conceived. Special guest appearance by actor and columnist John Garcia is a force of nature and his comedic skills were spot on. The sense of goofiness, joy and camaraderie, laced with blue gags, inside-jokes and more than a little genuine passion and rapture made Valley of the Divas a delight. |