I don't know what came over me.
If you'd previously told me I'd one day attend a Donna McKechnie performance I would've called you crazy. But she brought her show, which has garnered rave reviews elsewhere, to the new Colony Theatre in Burbank (quite possibly the most elegant small theatre in L.A.) and it was, after all, a chance to get together with Bette, so I figured why not? What follows is my review of Sunday's performance. If that doesn't interest you, you can skip to the bottom of this post to witness "I don't know what came over me, Part II".
"Inside the Music" is a one-woman autobiographical show that follows (through anecdotes and musical numbers, though sometimes confusingly) McKechnie's career as a dancer from its inception while a young girl in a dysfunctional family (her parents "never spoke") who found solace and inspiration in movies and eventually defied a judge and them to run off to realize her dream, and ends with the most exciting number-- a shortened though no less fabulous performance of "The Music and the Mirror" from
A Chorus Line complete with huge mirrors that are revealed with a flourish. It brought back wonderful memories of the first time I'd seen that show (sans McKechnie) at the Music Center some 25 years ago. Yes, I'm saying that Inside the Music's finale gave me a thrill; shhh, please keep that to yourself.
[From the biography section: "Television audiences remember her from her days on
Cheers,
HBO Musical Specials, NBC's
Hullaballoo and the cult series
Dark Shadows."]
Her singing was wonderful and very effective. She has lost her slimness, but you'd never know it by her energetic dancing, nor is there any sign of the crippling arthritis she later tells us about. She was accompanied by a trio of musicians, the piano player serving as conductor and also as participant during a handful of scenes requiring outside dialog. In fact, the stage was empty if not for them and a single ballet bar that later disappears. I am not fond of "Turkey Lurkey Time" from
Promises, Promises, but how the heck she can still do those movements is beyond me. She also performed "Inside the Music", a beautiful song Marvin Hamlisch wrote for her but which proves so difficult that she feigns a faint at the end of it, and you feel grateful it was dropped in favor of "TMATM". Other songs from shows she appeared in include "A Secretary is Not a Toy" (Frank Loesser) from
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying during which she dances the choreography created for her by Bob Fosse, "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" (Stephen Sondheim) from
Company, "If My Friends Could See Me Now" from
Sweet Charity, and "Boogie Woogie Blues" from
A Class Act.
We've seen the theme before-- through determination you can realize your dream. Yet while we all know how the story turns out, you get her message that she was never lucky in love. When she sang "I Wanna Be Loved By You" early on, who knew it would become a major theme as she continued to tell her life in story and song? Yet despite this frequent admission, you can't help but think she glossed over some of the negative aspects of her life while focusing on the positive; an example of the latter is a detailed and romantic monologue about meeting Fred Astaire which culminated in a performance of the song "Astaire". Examples of the former are her all-too-brief mentions of Michael Bennett (whom she married and divorced twice) and Fosse. Regarding Bennett-- she explains she met him while doing Hullabaloo and even seats herself on the stage steps with a promise to speak frankly, but she never quite lives up to that promise.
The second half is far more entertaining, and she begins it by entering from the rear of the theater. Unfortunately, the audience for this matinee was positively geriatric, which detracted from my experience because her dialogue, which she delivered flawlessly, occasionally called for our input. Save for a smattering of male fans, Bette, her friend and I were the young'ns at the performance. The older crowd seemed most attentive during 2 points in the show-- when she performed numbers from her most popular shows, and when she spoke in great detail about her arthritis treatment, from the 18 Bufferins a day to the miraculous results she got simply from changing her diet and "no fussing". I stood for her encore appearance, but I'm not sure if the other attendees were less impressed or if they just, well, weren't able.
There are several restaurants within walking distance of the theater, and ProfStokes and victoriawinters graciously drove out to join Bette and me for a fun dinner after the show.
And as promised¢â‚¬¦
Beware the lashes.
