DIVA VS. DIVA 'APPLAUSE' RIVALRY BURNS WITH VOCAL FIREWORKS.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic 'WELCOME TO the Theatre'' sings Margo Channing, a bitter and suspicious stage diva addressing Eve Harrington, once Margo's confidante con·fi·dante n. 1. A woman to whom secrets or private matters are disclosed. 2. A woman character in a drama or fiction, such as a trusted friend or servant, who serves as a device for revealing the inner thoughts or intentions , now her upstart understudy. The song is a thunderous, tour de force closer to the first act of ``Applause.'' And in Reprise's first-rate revival, the actress playing Eve (Jean Louisa Kelly Jean Louisa Kelly (born on March 9 1972 in Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.) is an American actress and singer. Her father was a high school English teacher and her mother taught piano [1]. Kelly graduated in 1994 from Columbia University's Columbia College with a B. ) actually departs the stage a few bars in, leaving Margo alone with her real audience. You can hardly blame her. Given the kerosene kerosene or kerosine, colorless, thin mineral oil whose density is between 0.75 and 0.85 grams per cubic centimeter. A mixture of hydrocarbons, it is commonly obtained in the fractional distillation of petroleum as the portion boiling off Sheryl Lee Ralph Sheryl Lee Ralph (born on December 30, 1956, in Waterbury, Connecticut) is a Tony Award-nominated American actress and singer of Jamaican ancestry. Biography Ralph graduated from high school at age 16. She graduated from Rutgers University at age 19 in 1975. brings to the role - and to the production - I wouldn't hang around either. Sometimes heat isn't to be braved. Playing a part that won Lauren Bacall a Tony, Ralph (an original ``Dreamgirl'') is vain, delusional, clutching, insecure and - in a word - magnificent. We never actually see Margo act on stage, but of course, the character is ``performing'' every time she enters a room: her dressing room, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, her own living room. Ralph belts and smolders; she does not mug or over-emote. It's easily one of the year's most stunning bits of acting. And the production around her is no rinky-dink affair either. Director David Lee expertly captures both the swinging exuberance of the 1960s (aided greatly by Randy Gardell's costumes) and the fondness for a classic Broadway age long past. ``Applause'' was a hit in 1970. Its creators are the ever-bankable Charles Strouse (music) and Betty Comden and Adolph Green (book). It's being revived by Reprise re·prise n. 1. Music a. A repetition of a phrase or verse. b. A return to an original theme. 2. A recurrence or resumption of an action. tr.v. - which focuses on hard-to-stage or forgotten gems - because ``Applause'' is relentlessly old-fashioned in tone, character, plot and everything else. Lee and his company have freshened it considerably, not through any updates or contemporizing. It's in the cheeky way Margo takes over the aforementioned bar - pairing off with leather-clad bikers - with the song ``But Alive.'' It's in the theater gypsies extemporaneously ex·tem·po·ra·ne·ous adj. 1. Carried out or performed with little or no preparation; impromptu: an extemporaneous piano recital. 2. putting on a show, explaining (through the title song) the need for ``Applause.'' That marvelous number (choreographed with high brio by Mark Esposito) is led by Bonnie (played by single-named actress Scarlett), whose contemporary equivalent, you figure, could be found today at some watering hole. Or she could be a hopeful movie extra. ``Applause,'' the musical version of ``All About Eve,'' finds the conniving and ambitious Eve insinuating in·sin·u·at·ing adj. 1. Provoking gradual doubt or suspicion; suggestive: insinuating remarks. 2. Artfully contrived to gain favor or confidence; ingratiating. herself into the confidence of aging Margo. Eve's got something - besides moxy, that is - that lets her claw her way over or through anybody to reach the top. Targets include the writer of Margo's current hit (Kevin Chamberlin), its producer (James Avery) and star director (Kevin Early) - the latter who also happens to be Margo's boyfriend. Fair game, all. The artful thing about Kelly's work - apart from its contrast to Ralph's - is its air of mystery. Something's clearly off about Eve from the beginning, but Kelly has an earnest, Midwestern genuineness. You want her to be the real deal up to - and occasionally beyond - the moment she's plunging knives into people's backs. The men get their time as well. Early, long the best voice in Reprise's stable, is boyish and virile virile /vir·ile/ (vir´il) 1. masculine. 2. specifically, having male copulative power. vir·ile adj. 1. as Bill the director, and John Fleck is drollness personified as Margo's bitchy bitch·y adj. bitch·i·er, bitch·i·est Slang 1. Malicious, spiteful, or overbearing. 2. In a bad mood; irritable or cranky. wardrobe man. Evan A. Bartoletti's set suggests bar and restaurant interiors, with a nice backstage backdrop to remind us how much of a theater piece ``Applause'' actually is. Gerald Sternbach smartly conducts a bigger-than-usual Reprise orchestra - in full view and strongly playing a terrific score. Overall, a wonderful package, with Sheryl Lee Ralph the ribbon, frills Frills see frilled. and wrapping paper to make it gleam. Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com APPLAUSE - Four stars Where: Freud Playhouse, UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX campus, Westwood. When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through May 22. Tickets: $60 to $65. Call (310) 825-2101. In a nutshell: The production rocks. Sheryl Lee Ralph rules. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Jean Louisa Kelly, left, and Sheryl Lee Ralph are stage rivals in ``Applause,'' the musical version of ``All About Eve.'' |
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