We went to the Ahmanson Theater last week and last night so I thought I’d combine my thoughts to save time and energy.
Last week we saw The Music Man. I’d been looking forward to it because I’ve always loved the show but the LA Times was merciless about it. They hated the lead actor, actually they seemed to hate everything about it so I was dreading it. Well, the LA Times critic is out of his bitchy little mind. The lead may not have been Robert Preston (who is?) but he did a good job. Singing, dancing, acting…it all worked. I thought the woman who played Marianne was pitchy but maybe her monitor wasn’t working. The rest of the cast were great. The dance numbers were spectacular. The musical has always made fun of Iowans but with love, so we could laugh and admire at the same time. And for those of us who came from the Midwest? It was Old Home week. I loved it. So did everybody around us. During intermission we all agreed that the LA Times critic was completely wrong. Don’t know who pissed in his oatmeal that morning but I hope he straightens out soon. He shouldn’t be allowed to try to tank a show, whatever his personal prejudices.
Last night we saw “Oh, Mary!” It was pretty much what I expected—wildly irreverent, full of gay jokes, and sillyness. Alaska Thunderfuck, a drag queen, starred as Mary. He’s very talented. Well, the whole cast is but I fell asleep even though it was only 80 minutes long. I thought it was dated. I saw this sort of thing in San Francisco 40 years ago. Gordon didn’t care for it either but a lot of people around us seemed to enjoy it. Maybe people are that desperate for a laugh. Anyway, if you’re looking for a well-done drag queen show, this is it. Oh, and the LA Times loved it, if that says anything.