Scandalous is finally going to Broadway. It’s about time.
Friends – I saw an earlier incarnation of this production a few years ago at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, and it was absolutely amazing. Full disclosure: I know the powerful force behind this production. Her name is Kathie Lee Gifford, and we grew up in the same town, and our families have known each other for years. A number of years ago I travelled to Israel with her parents, brother and sister-in-law, and others in her family. I’ve been following Kathie’s career since she was in a little local pageant in my home town that the local Jaycees were involved with – including my father. We have always known she’s incredibly creative, and quite the entertainment juggernaut, a force to be reckoned with.
She’s been involved in music for years. In high school she sang as the lead of a trio that included her outrageously talented sister Michie Mader, and Denise Carley, all remarkably entertaining. Kathie’s career snowballed, and much has been written about it – but I’m not sure how much has been said about her incredible wit, which her TV audiences certainly get to see, but to me, she’s at her best in a live audience situation, like I saw at the Rainbow Room years ago, or at one of Donald Trump’s casinos in Atlantic City – her repartee with a live audience and the way she jumps off stage and works a live room is like nothing you’ve ever seen. She’s the best.
But Broadway musicals? Really?
I saw an early production of hers years ago, it was an adaptation of a children’s book called Under the Bridge. I was surprised at how good it was. Top notch. Excellent work.
But a few years ago, I saw an early version of the production that is now called Scandalous. The show I saw was called Saving Aimee, and seriously – we’re being very serious now – it was knock-your-socks-off why-didn’t-somebody-tell-me awesome. Totally epic. An instant classic.
About three songs into the production I was completely lost in the story and just mesmerized and fascinated. It’s funny, it’s stunning, it’s intriguing, it’s highly entertaining. I found myself wondering:
- Why had I never heard or known anything about this person, Aimee Semple McPherson?
- There’s no way little ol’ Kathie Lee Gifford is behind all of this – we all know her television work but this is a whole different world and honestly, this show is tremendous. How did this happen?
- Why wasn’t this show on freaking BROADWAY already?????
Now I’m no theatre critic – a lot of people would say that’s a plus – but I’ve seen my share of Broadway shows, including Tony Award winners for Best Musical, like the better known shows – Sunset Boulevard (1995), Jersey Boys (2006), and of course Phantom of the Opera (1988), who hasn’t seen that one. Gifford’s production absolutely blows away Sunset Boulevard in terms of pure entertainment value – although I have to say, the set for Sunset Boulevard was pretty impressive, I remember when the curtains opened, everyone in the audience I was in gave the SET a standing ovation. And Phantom is arguably one of the best shows ever, particularly if you go with longevity and box office results. Jersey Boys was a rip-roaring great time – but come on, remove the very familiar music of the Four Seasons and you might still have an interesting story, yet it’s the classic pop tunes that are the draw to that show. Am I right? Or am I right?
Gifford’s production was surprising to me in how incredibly entertaining and fascinating it is. Maybe I’m a rare type, since I love both complex fusion music and country music. I love funny entertainment and I love serious intellectual stimulation. I love history, especially dramatizations of true events that have flown somewhat under the popular radar screen, like recent best-selling books by Erik Larson (Devil in the White City, Thunderstruck), or a relatively new but very promising author named Candice Millard (Destiny of the Republic). If I could only pick one channel for my cable TV subscription, I’d pick Turner Classic Movies (TCM) without batting an eye. And I’m a sucker for a great toe-tapping musical with memorable melodies and catchy lyrics.
Gifford’s show is a remarkable combination of all of that – fascinating history, blockbuster songs, funny, poignant, moving, and incredibly fun and fascinating altogether. It’s the Real Deal.
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| Pictured: Me, with Kathie Lee Gifford at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. April 23, 2007, at a presentation of the musical Saving Aimee, which wowed the sold-out house. The production has been transformed into Scandalous, and is opening on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theater in November 2012. Previews start in October 2012. See the official Scandalous website for tickets and information. |
Scandalous is highly entertaining, and is all based on the life of a real person who was one of the most influential 20th century figures about whom I knew virtually nothing until I saw this show. And yet her life and work touched an enormous number of people in a variety of ways. Visit her biography at Wikipedia and you’ll find references to all sorts of people like Upton Sinclair, Frank Capra, Bette Davis, Milton Berle, Faye Dunaway, and many more. And those don’t even begin to tell the full story.
Scandalous is both highly entertaining, and I say – one of the most important works in production today.
And it’s finally ON Broadway, as well it should be.
GO! It’s a unique, rare experience! And you’ll absolutely love it!
For more information, you can visit the official website for Scandalous at http://scandalousonbroadway.com/.