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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2002)
42 Ju s t o u t • aprü 5. 2002 THEATER C e le b ra tin g t h e 3 o d y E r o t ic A big flirt J une 1-2 / P ortland Come alive to the power o f your erot ic energy. Open your body, mind and The witty D irty Blonde puts Mae West at Center Stage spirit to a world o f pleasure. Discover deeper levels o f communication with yourself and others. Honor yourself (0 0 3 ) 4 0 3 -0 4 -2 1 with the gift W MÊ BocK | o f touch. £ a t / J | Electric School • w w w .b o d y e le c t r lc .O R G Portland Center for the Performing Arts Tickets $22.50 -3 3 1 .5 0 FASTIXX 503-224-tixx Fastixx Tick e t Centers Ticket Central Music Millennium PC PA w w w . b od yvox .com w w w .fa stixx.co m Group, student. 6 senior discounts. T Kkets subject to service charge. For info call BodyVox 503-229-0627 www.bodyvox.com 1 | -u, rinnns>rpnr ^ Bank of America Pops BIG BAND: MOONLIGHT SERENADE Saturday, April 20 at 8 pm | Sunday, April 21 at 3 & 8 pm | Monday, April 22 at 8 pm Norman Leyden, conductor | Renee Cleland, Rod Lucich, vocalists | Phiiiip Auer, Bree Blevins, Wayne Herendeen, Rebecca York, dancers Norman Leyden was an arranger for the great Glenn Miller Band and is a leading expert on the big band style. He conducts big bands throughout the world. Join Norman and his 17-piece big band for a performance of the music of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and many others. Please note: Oregon Symphony orchestra does not perform. Sponsored by Bank of America Media support by KPTV-Oregon'* 12, News Talk 750 KXL & Media America Tickets start at $22* * Students and Seniors: Vi price one hour before concert Students $5 any seat one week before concert (Sunday & Monday night only) FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: Call 503-228*1353 | 1-800-228-7343 | Mon- Sat, 9 am - 5 pm www.orsymphony.org | 503-790-ARTS (service charge may apply) Group rates available. Call 503-228-1353 ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL SW M ain & Broadway • Portlan d Center for the Perform ing Arts by T im o t h y K rause B efore Madonna, Barbra and Judy there was Mae West— an early 20th century icon of sexual liberation still popular in gay culture today. “I made myself platinum, but 1 was horn a dirty blonde,” drawls the bawdy and auda cious West, flaunt ing her smart wit and voluptuous hourglass figure all the way from vaudeville to Hollywood via Broadway. Broadway is giv ing hack with Dirty Blonde, a Portland Center Stage pro duction through April 14 at Newmark Theatre. Along its way, West’s creative work crossed many social circles, including gender, race and sexual ori entation. Gutsy ambition coupled with salty sex appeal challenged indus try censors and public seasihilities hut won her celebrity on both stage and screen. She was not only a popular perfonner hut also wrote and pro duced much of her own work—celebrated as much for her lines as her curves, as one biogra pher put it. But followers of celebrities often embrace hero worship more than the heroes themselves. So, too, is Dirty Blonde a romantic celebration of all that is Mae West, as seen through the eyes of two modern-day disciples. o and Charlie (Jennifer Taub and Colin Thomson) are quirky loners obsessed with the blonde bombshell. When the two both show up at West’s grave to honor her birthday, an awkward relationship begins. Jo is a hit thrown, for instance, when Charlie admits he loves to dress up as their idol. As they get to know each other, Jo and Charlie share their appreciation— and envy— of West’s attitude, self-confidence and chutz pah. They find in the star (also played by Tauh) a role model for creating happiness together within themselves. The play alternates between Jo and Char lie’s humdrum life and the wild and raucous expanse of West’s career. The pairing of these two scenarios is clever, and the mechanics of the plot are often novel, especially when the focus is on action over narration. But, at only about 90 minutes without intermission, Dirty Blonde doesn’t do justice to either one. The interwoven storylines compete for attention. The contemporary love story leaves a less-than-satisfying resolution. And the period biography of West doesn't spend enough time exploring what’s beneath all the sass and brass. So the audience laughs at West’s familiar, hut quaint, douhle-entendres. They chuckle at a man squeezing into a dress, donning a big, floppy hat and wrapping himself in a feather boa, which, West says, thankfully covers a mul J titude of sins. They see West upstaged by her own caricature. Nevertheless, this Broadway hit is nominat ed for two Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Actress, for the role originated by its playwright, Claudia Shear. Making her Portland Center Stage dehut in the same dual part, Tauh offers a congenial and energetic portrayal of Jo, the struggling-to-be- someone actress. As West, she also embraces in earnest the challenge of portraying a woman Vanity Fair once described as “the greatest female impersonator of all time.” Thomson plays his multiple parts with bal anced and vigorous execution, having under- studied with the original cast and directed the first leg of its national tour. In his primary per sona, he offers a glimpse into Charlie’s increas ing sincerity and vulnerability as he learns to he himself with a person he loves. O f the three-person cast, Roy Abramsohn seems to have the most fun with his frenetic role. This quick-change artist plays a number of supporting characters— and a piano— with aplomb. One of his best hits is as West’s gay attache, flamboyantly bedecked and symbolizing the Hollywood queen’s connection to her fairies. Incidental song-and-dance numbers provide nostalgic relief, and several cn^ss-dressing varia tions camp things up a hit. West’s extravagant costumes by Jeff Cone are noteworthy, hut the bland set, hollow sound and indifferent light ing leave the theater feeling a hit empty. Some say that Mac West’s actual talent was limited and that she was a figure of speech in more ways than one. Still, most find her enter taining, and many continue to adore her lega cy. The same holds true here. Although the show only flirts with the legend, this Dirty Blonde is still a fun date. in D irty B lo n d e rum through April 14 at Newmark Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway. Tickets are $ 1 2-$44 from the Portland Center for the Performing Arts hox office.
