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
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with the gift
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o f touch.
£ a t / J | Electric
School
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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
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Group, student. 6 senior discounts.
T Kkets subject to service charge.
For info call BodyVox
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www.bodyvox.com
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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.