Broadway<\/a> run.<\/p>\n\n\tAs in the novel, the musical \u2014 which Dart again co-scripted, this time with Thom Thomas \u2014 begins in the \u201880s with fictional singing sensation Cee Cee Bloom (Jessica Vosk) rehearsing a number for her long-running TV variety show. Receiving an urgent phone call, she impulsively exits without explanation. Of course, a flashback follows.<\/p>\n
\n\tIt\u2019s 1951 on an Atlantic City beach where the 10-year-old, red-headed Cee Cee (Samantha Schwartz) is performing in a kiddie show. While under the boardwalk, literally, she meets pretty little Bertie (Zeya Grace), lost and alone. Bertie, a polite, grammar-precise, deb-destined daughter of WASP fortune is instantly dazzled by the pint-sized Jewish dynamo who peppers her speech with showbiz slang and Yiddish expressions.<\/p>\n
\n\tAfter that encounter, they stay in touch via letters until years later when Bertie (Kelli Barrett), fleeing from a controlling mother \u2014 and her own wedding \u2014 seeks out Cee Cee, who is a struggling actress in a summer stock company. It\u2019s there they begin their in-person relationship as young adults.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe musical remains a cliche-filled melodrama reminiscent of film vehicles for Joan Crawford or Barbara Stanwyck. There\u2019s misperceived betrayals, a surprise pregnancy, sudden abandonment, a sentimental reconciliation, a fatal illness and a tearful farewell. But for this uninspired outing you can leave the hankies at home.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe film made smart and economical use of a few atmospheric tunes such as \u201cUp on then Roof,\u201d and \u201cThe Glory of Love,\u201d interpreted by a single lead character who is a charismatic performer. Here the musical spotlight is shared with others, and to lesser effect.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe songs are by composing legend Mike Stoller, now 93, and a master tunesmith during the era in which much of the story spans. The musical numbers have a pleasant old-school Broadway feel mixed with pop and swing flavors. But none stand out and a few evoke templates of past show tunes. A duet by the women\u2019s husbands suggests the condescending males of Sondheim\u2019s \u201cAgony.\u201d There\u2019s also the scent of a Kander and Ebb in a novelty number about each woman wishing they could be like the other.<\/p>\n
\n\tBut that\u2019s just it. Here opposites \u2014 classy and brassy \u2014 are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial. Their effect on each other is also unbalanced with Cee Cee seeing Bertie as BFF \u2014 Best Fan Forever. Though Cee Cee prompts some independence in her friend, Bertie\u2019s sheen hasn\u2019t rubbed off on her needy pal. Only at the end does Cee Cee get a predictable semi-transformation.<\/p>\n
\n\tMany of the new changes in this version are clumsily presented. The pivotal scene that causes a break in their relationship is head-spinning. In a matter of minutes the best of friends go from being giggling buddies to making bitchy remarks, then hurtful revelations, all with little motivation or sense.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe husbands in the women\u2019s lives, played by Ben Jacoby and Brent Thiessen, are written as cardboard characters, good for a few plot turns and then out of the picture. The other women in the friends\u2019 lives \u2014 primarily their mothers \u2014 don\u2019t fare much better and are reduced to near-caricatures. Push the show\u2019s direction just a bit further and this soap opera could easily slip into parody, at least in several scenes. (Some of the mugging is already there.)<\/p>\n
\n\tVosk and Barrett do admirable work but are limited by the material and get little help in the writing or staging. A strong-voiced Vosk is charged with echoing Midler\u2019 performance. Barrett makes the most of the few-but-effective moments that reveal a person more than a type.<\/p>\n
\n\tProduction values are minimal with low-tide set designs, under-populated numbers and sketchy choreography. Cee Cee\u2019s show biz outfits remain cheap looking, even as her celebrity and fortunes soar. (A \u201cHocus Pocus\u201d-looking wig and a cheesy costume in what is supposed to be a polished production number? Really?)<\/p>\n
\n\tThe creative and producing teams \u2014 including Lonny Price and Matt Cowart who co-direct \u2014 even miss on the musical money shot. \u201cWind Beneath My Wings,\u201d the film\u2019s bittersweet and potent Grammy-winning ode (written by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley) was an emotional gesture of gratitude and grace. But here Cee Cee is alone on stage performing just another star turn.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Music Audiences going to the musical \u201cBeaches\u201d are likely to know what to expect: the story of a decades-long, female friendship with plenty of schmaltz, some sass, and a mega-hit song, \u201cWind Beneath My Wings.\u201d The musical, which began its development a dozen years ago \u2014 and most recently in a 2024 Calgary production, is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":908516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[131522],"class_list":{"0":"post-908515","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business-news","8":"tag-podcast-music"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=908515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/908516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=908515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=908515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=908515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}