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Season Reviews: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' at Gateway

BY STEVE PARKS

August 8, 2007

If it's true that gentlemen ever preferred blondes, it was probably never more so than back when the primitive state of the hair-coloring sciences made blondes harder to find.

Jule Styne's 1949 musical, set in the Roaring '20s, sings and dances around the quaint proposition that all guys fall for blondes but that blondes only fall for rich guys. In a charmingly droll production at Gateway Playhouse, the show's age is betrayed by superfluous dance numbers in front of the curtain, to fill the time while the sets can be changed.

The musical's success depends on the va-va-vroom blonde who turns out to be a genius in corporate as well as corporeal mergers (Carol Channing in the Broadway original, Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 movie and KT Sullivan in the less successful 1995 Broadway revival).

Here, Elizabeth Stanley, who comes to Gateway from the Tony-winning revival of "Company," twists the role of Lorelei Lee in such a way that you suspect her dumb-blonde lines are part of a clever subterfuge - and it works. Especially on Michael Hayward-Jones as a hen-pecked English aristocrat who helps Lorelei swindle his wife (Susan Scudder) out of a diamond tiara.

Meanwhile, Lorelei - whose fiance (Paul Glausen) is the son of a button magnate - worries that she may not be cashing in on her meal ticket after she receives a shipboard telegram that her prospective father-in-law is investigating her nefarious past. She takes up with an impossibly earnest zipper magnate (Kurt Robbins) who threatens to make buttons obsolete.

Her ostensible chaperone on the voyage to Paris is her pal Dorothy, a brunette played by Erin Crouch with mischief in mind during such numbers as "I Love What I'm Doing" ("when I'm doin' it for love"). But she, too, is wooed by a rich guy (Duke Lafoon) who looks after his Champagne-swilling mother (Ann Hurst).

Director-choreographer Ken Prescott keeps the story moving along on Art Deco sets designed by Michael Ward. He embroiders those sometimes extraneous dance numbers with comically suggestive costumes by Jose Rivera, whose glittering, barely over-the-top gowns accent Lorelei's curves better than 3-D HDTV. It's enough to make you believe all that costume jewelry is real when Lorelei and Dorothy team up with Jeffrey Buchsbaum's big band on "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is a guilty-pleasure hoot, as ripe for summertime as a romance novel.

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES. Music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Leo Robin, book by Joseph Fields and Anita Loos, based on her novel. At Gateway Playhouse, 215 South Country Rd., Bellport, through Aug. 25. Tickets, $37-$43; 631-286-1133, gatewayplayhouse.com. Seen Saturday night.

At Gateway, 'Blondes' Still Having More Fun

BY LEE DAVIS

Aug 9, 2007

At Gateway, ‘Blondes’ Still Having More Fun By Lee Davis

“Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” has had a long and wacky life, all right.

Written by Anita Loos in 1925 after she saw her friend the acerbic H.L. Mencken reduced to a lovesick schoolboy by a sexy blonde, it had its best of two reincarnations in the 1949 musical with a book by Ms. Loos and Joseph Fields, music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Leo Robin. This was the Broadway launching pad for Carol Channing, who never quite dropped the wide-eyed, squeaky-voiced delivery she developed for the role.

To my taste, the original show, currently being given an energetic, somewhat schizophrenic but still workmanlike revival at the Gateway Playhouse in Bellport, far outpaces the 1953 film that was redesigned to feature the twin assets of Marilyn Monroe as Lorelei Lee and Jane Russell as her sidekick, Dorothy Shaw. The film turned the two equally into a couple of bimbos; the original stage version had the virtue of one bimbo (Lorelei) balanced by a down-to-earth compass keeper played magnetically by Yvonne Adair.

The Gateway version is the original, with the great Jule Styne score intact and the terrific Hugh Martin vocal arrangements in splendid shape.

In fact, musical director Jeffrey Buchsbaum has powered the show with great good spirit and an obvious understanding of the score. For those of us who saw the original, the overture is a true time trip backward.

What has not been faithfully followed are Agnes DeMille’s dances for the original. Director/choreographer Ken Prescott can’t seem to make up his mind if he’s going to camp up the show or let it ride on its own merits. The result is a little of both, which miters down each, though, in all fairness, the second act is far better realized than the first, which relies relentlessly upon making fun of 1920s musicals.

Every dance has lots of hands extended toward the sky, the chorus prancing insanely into practically every scene, and—aaarghh—a kick line. The problem with this is that “Gentleman Prefer Blondes” is a 1949 musical about 1920s musicals, not a 1925 musical about the ’20s, and when, in the second act, director Prescott accepts this, even his choreography becomes more original and inventive.

Well, that said, the production has an adorable cast with energy to burn. Practically everyone in it taps like crazy, and no show can be less than wonderful that’s full of tap dancing. Since this is the Gateway’s annual low budget production, the chorus members are kept extraordinarily busy doubling, tripling, quadrupling and quintupling. The set by Michael H. Ward is summer stock basic and the lighting by Kim Hanson is not very subtle. But the costumes by Jose Rivera are smashing and colorful, and the cast wears them with verve and vitality.

And this is a crackerjack cast that dances its heart out and delivers the Jule Styne tunes with understanding and panache. The spirited surprise of the evening is “I’m a Tingle, I’m Aglow,” previously a throwaway number delivered by a wealthy health nut, which, in the magnificent voice and comic delivery of Kurt Robbins, becomes a certified show stopper.

Paul Clausen is also a mellow voiced, young romantic lead, though in the original show, the role was played by Jack McCauley, which made Loerelei’s “daddy” as a form of endearment seem more natural. And the comedy quotient is rewardingly high in this production. Michael Hayward-Jones and Susan Scudder are sketches as Sir Francis and Lady Phyllis Beekman, two British aristocrats, one with a roving eye, the other with a disapproving one.

But the prime comedienne, who steals every scene she’s in, is Ann Hurst, as the tippling Mrs. Ella Spofford. Her mugging, her delivery, her timing are priceless.

As Lorelei Lee, Elizabeth Stanley, fresh from portraying April, the airhead air hostess in the award-winning Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company,” manages a balance of Marilyn Monroe breathiness and Carol Channing brassiness. She’s beautiful, knows her way around a comic line, and has a super singing voice. Her delivery of her two standards “A Little Girl from Little Rock” and “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” are purely hers and purely successful.

However, as in the original, the Yvonne Adaire role of Dorothy Shaw, given the task of revving up and leading some of the production’s socko production numbers, has a way of taking over the show at its most exciting moments. Erin Crouch, Bellport’s Dorothy Shaw, is a firecracker, a terrific dancer, a great singer, and a transfixing and vibrant actress.

She ignites “High Time,” the opening chorus extolling the role transatlantic liners played in skirting Prohibition in the ’20s; she kicks up a storm in the Charleston evoking “I Love What I’m Doing”; lights up Paris with “Sunshine”; and lends a blinding brightness to the two historically specific and referencing next-to-closing numbers, “Homesick” and “Keeping Cool with Coolidge.” She’s a wonder, and someone to watch for in her next Broadway—or Bellport—appearance.

All told, this “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” is a nice, nuance-free nostalgia trip with a great cast who could have been directed and choreographed with a little more originality, but who deliver solidly, nonetheless.

“Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” continues at the Gateway Playhouse in Bellport through August 25. The box office number is 286-1133.

BY ROY BRADBROOK

No doubt there have been sociological studies done to prove or disprove the theory that the male species is preferentially attracted to ladies whose hair is blonde. Just try a test on your male friends and ask them who played the two female leads in the original Broadway production and then the film. Depending on their ages they may come up with Carol Channing and will almost certainly say Marilyn Monroe from the film version. It will be interesting to see how many remember the brunette Yvonne Adair from Broadway or even the sultry buxom Jane Russell who starred opposite Marilyn in the film version. Yes ,there is something about a blonde dame!

Some say this show is sexist or politically incorrect. After all, how many women would ever set out to ensnare a wealthy man simply by using their physical attributes, and is it right to portray a blonde as dumb? Also, some may say it is old fashioned with its concentration on partying, drinking and all these gold diggers trying to dupe eligible and wealthy men. Come to think of it, that description may sound uncommonly like a typical summer weekend in the Hamptons.

Put these thoughts aside, settle back and enjoy Gateway Playhouse's production of this musical that without a doubt, is unashamedly and delightfully old fashioned, but has many very tuneful songs, some great tap dancing and no violence, mayhem, foul language or even any social message. It is simply good escapist entertainment that will send you out into the evening happy and whistling one of the catchy songs.

The music of Jules Styne and the lyrics of Leo Robin set the stage with the days of bright young things - flappers, prohibition and the idle pursuits of the rich. Set on the transatlantic liner, the Ile de France, the show follows the fortunes of two ex-Follies showgirls, Lorelei Lee (the blonde) and Dorothy Shaw (the brunette) as they sail away to Gay Paree (yes, the musical is also old fashioned enough to use that word in its original connotation in several songs). Lorelei serenades her latest beau Gus Edmond Jr., heir to a massive button manufacturing fortune, with the song "Bye Bye Baby" as the liner sets sail because Gus has to stay behind. The rest of the show follows the fluctuating trials and tribulations of Lorelei and Gus as their romance waxes and wanes. It also follows the machinations of Dorothy as she sets her cap at Henry Spofford (played by Duke Lafoon), a wealthy Philadelphian philanthropist.

Elizabeth Stanley as Lorelei Lee is blonde enough and certainly beautiful enough to make the title ring true. In a previous appearance at Gateway, she played that other great Marilyn role in Sugar and here again, she looks and sounds like a reincarnation. Sometimes you find yourself wishing that you could see her take the role as her own rather than her being a copy. Erin Crouch plays Dorothy Shaw, Lorelei's brunette friend and ex-Follies, extremely well and there is good synergy between the two. She also lights up the stage with her dancing. The tap sequences are a feature of the show and Ken Prescott in the dual roles of director and choreographer has brought together a very talented group of dancers who make the most of Agnes de Mille's original choreography. Paul Clausen as Gus Edmond Jr., Lorelei's target, and Kurt Robbins as Gage, the entrepreneurial zipper manufacturer, strive for both Lorelei and business success. Lorelei finally proves that blondes are not really that dumb when she succeeds in marrying Gus and forges a mutually profitable business partnership between Gus and Gage, ensuring her the continued supply of a girl's best friends - need you ask - diamonds, of course.

Elizabeth Stanley sings with husky sex appeal and she has great timing. She is very well partnered with Paul Clausen. Even though the male roles in this show are subservient to the female (art imitating reality again?), when they get their chances, they all showed extremely good singing voices and Duke Lafoon held the audience spell bound with a beautiful and lesser known romantic ballad, "Just a Kiss Apart."

The scenic designs by Michael H. Ward are excellent and colorful and Jose M. Rivera's costumes, especially those for the girls, are beautiful. The orchestra under Jeffrey Buschbaum has the nostalgic style of the 20s and the whole evening was fun and reconfirmed Gateway's tremendous strength in staging and revitalizing classic hit musicals.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes runs through August 25 at the Bellport Theater. Call (631) 286-1133 to purchase tickets.

The Gateway Playhouse Proves Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

By Shana Braff

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

            The Gateway Playhouse located at 215 South Country Road in Bellport proudly welcomes back Elizabeth Stanley as Lorelei Lee, one of the “two little girls from Little Rock” in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which opened August 1st and will run through the 25th. The lovely Miss Stanley, who appeared in Gateway productions as Princess Amneris in Aida, and in the title role in Sugar, is hot on the heels of her Broadway debut as April in Company. She shares the stage with an impressive ensemble cast featuring fellow alumni Paul Clausen (Me and My Girl, Sweet Charity) as Gus Esmond Jr., Michael Hayward Jones as Francis Beekman, and Ann D. Hurst as Ella Spoffard.
            The production is illuminated with a score by the great Jule Styne (Gypsy, Funny Girl), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a kooky, crazy, cut-up on the Ile de France ocean liner in 1921, as Lorelei and Dorothy, two lounge singers working their way to Paris, attempt to bewitch and ensnare themselves affluent husbands with their undeniable charm and sex appeal.
            The original 1949 Broadway production was the star-making vehicle of legendary chanteuse Carol Channing and ran for 740 performances. The song list is chock full of light catchy tunes such as the title song, the classic “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” and “Bye Bye Baby.” The show is based on Anita Loos’ 1925 novel.
            Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was made into a 1953 film adaptation starring Jane Russell and the quintessential blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe.
            Elizabeth Stanley is luminous as Lorelei Lee in this insightful and timeless satirical farce. The story begins with Lorelei, queen of the gold-diggers, barely making it out alive through the depression and World War I and finally coming into her own along with gal pal Dorothy Shaw. The two become engrossed in the flamboyant, decadent recklessness of the Roaring Twenties. They then find themselves in the company of Sugar Daddies loaded with cash and of course diamonds.
            In a superbly choreographed performance that doesn’t skip a beat, tap dancing echoes with bawdy exuberance. The flawlessly energetic cast dances and sings their way through each nifty number with the effortless ease of a summer’s breeze, as the captivated audience gets swept away into a world of ocean liners, jewels, and the devil may care swagger of a beloved and bygone era.
            Scene stealer, Miss Stanley oozes with charisma and a flirty sensuality that captivates and entrances each time she commands the stage. It’s impossible to take your eyes off her as she struts and coos in a baby doll voice reminiscent of the essence of Marilyn. You can’t help but think of Monroe as she evokes her trademark paradoxical blend of innocence and sultriness, still as intoxicating a combination as ever. Her singing voice at once powerful yet vulnerable, as she is bathed in sparkles made all the more brilliant by the expert lighting, Elizabeth Stanley imbues the stage with that intangible yet unmistakable trait, star quality.
            Erin Crouch is adorable as Dorothy Shaw, the leggy, sarcastic, brunette foil to Lorelei’s ditzy blonde. She sizzles, spouting bawdy double entendres with impeccable comedic timing and sassy, brassy attitude.
            The set design and costuming is top notch, with the impressive expediency which the sets and costumes are switched from one magnificent scene to the next the performance flows seamlessly from beginning to end.
            The highlight of the musical is Lorelei’s belting out of the showstopper, “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” at the beginning of the second act. Lorelei wrapped in an ornate white feather boa worn over a garishly elegant pink sequined gown is completely decked out in jewels, capped by an over the top tiara, pure old Hollywood glamour from head to toe.
            Miss Stanley, putting her own spin on the definitive Marilyn Monroe persona, swivels her curvaceous hips and sings the biting lyrics, “Men grow cold as girls grow old and we all lose our charms in the end, but square-cut or pear-shaped these rocks don’t lose their shape. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Diamonds offer a profound symbolism in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. They are not just the sought after prize of a money hungry mistress, but representative of eternal youth and everlasting life. Diamonds are after all forever.
            Tickets for all shows are on sale now, call the box office at 631-286-1133 or visit Gateway on the web at www.gatewayplayhouse.com

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