In case you didn't realize it had been made into a musical, it has. It was even up for some Tony awards a couple years ago. But it had a pretty short run on Broadway, and then it was re-tooled and sent out on the road, apparently both beefed up and slimmed down.
It's strange seeing a re-envisioning of a show you already really know. And not in the way that "The Wizard of Oz" became "Wicked" - this is, for the most part, a literal translation of the movie onto the stage (with some songs thrown in).
I'm going to skip discussing the plot, under the assumption that you all already know it. (If not, you REALLY ought to go rent it. The movie - from 1980 - is a hoot!)
Sadly, that same action, though, is what the writers of the musical seemed to have done, as well. They assumed that their audience already knew the story, and kind of jumped in mid-stream. The backstory in the play didn't come from character development, it came from Dolly Parton appearing above the stage (pre-recorded - not actually her being suspended above the stage) during the opening number and explaining who everyone was. And, to make my point, Dolly makes a great joke when pointing out Dora Lee that "well... you know who she is..." And, of course, most of the audience does.
Oddly enough, the lack of backstory aside, the first act of the show seemed a bit rushed. Like, even without having to tell everyone's stories, they still didn't have quite enough time to get all of the details in that they wanted to include. My question, then, is why they didn't clip a few more out?
But, if I'm not careful, I fear you're going to think I didn't like the show. And I did. I really did.
I laughed. A lot. I came just a little close to tears once or twice (for happiness as much as for sadness). And I was pretty darned impressed by the three lead actresses. Violet (Lily Tomlin's character) has the most dramatic range, and was a lot of fun. Judy (Jane Fonda's character) kind of pulls the "back-up" straw for much of the show, but the actress proved she's got major singing ability in her solo piece in the second act. Dora Lee (Dolly Parton's character) was played with just enough Dolly to make it recognizable, but without making us compare her all the way through.
So, let's tally this up... Was I able to leave there humming any tunes (other than the theme song)? No. Would I go to it again? Yes (if the tickets were free). Would I recommend it to any of my friends if it rolls into your town? Yes - It really was a fun time - updated nostalgia and all.
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