| Dukakis had her eyes on her script making sure to get every "Boom Diddy Boom Diddy Boom Diddy Diddy Diddy Boom", etc. during that number, when the lyrics weren't that hard to remember. I don't recall her singing being anything really unacceptable, but she didn't have the sparkle, the experience with musicals, and the flair that the role required. Know who did? Anita Gillette, in a supporting role, who Encores really should have given the lead. Gillette goes back to being cast by Irving Berlin in "Mr. President" and a well-received Sally Bowles replacement in the original "Cabaret", among other roles. I know Dukakis got an Oscar for her great work in "Moonstruck" (which featured Gillette, too as "the other woman"), but Dukakis didn't have what the original star of "70, Girls, 70", Mildred Natwick, another actress known more for non-musicals, had -- the style and ability to put over songs in a musical comedy with confidence and finesse. |
