I hate it. I've always hated it. I find justifications for it off-putting. For certain meta events, like this Dolly, in which Midler manages to play book scenes straight while still acknowledging the audience, I marvel how well it works. Zaks just found this presentational style for the production that defines it. Yes, (SPOILER) she pauses during the title number, breathless, hysterically so, to show us how fatiguing it is, and brings down the house. It's a moment in which Midler and Levi become one, and it's gold.
But most shows don't have that moment, especially carefully timed comedy.
To those who don't mind it, enjoy. If mistakes are made, and accidents happen, I welcome brilliant covering. It's the nature of live performance. Props fail, lines are lost, fire engines drive by, it rains, sirens drown out tag lines. But the calculated Steve and Edie thing, finding a moment nightly to break character and tell us you're amused that you're up there acting funny stuff that kinda bores you sometimes and you've been doing it a while now, so it just got to you ... or something ... uh-uh. |
