Forgotten Musicals: 'Vanities - The Musical' (2008)
Music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum
Book by Jack Heifner
History:
This musical is based on the book and 1976 comedy play of the same name, by Jack Heifner. The adaptation was undertaken by Heifner and off-Broadway composer, David Kirshenbaum. The musical originally premiered off-Broadway in 2009, after an engagement at the Pasadena Playhouse, California in 2008. It features three female leads, with no other characters appearing on stage.
Plot:
The musical follows three best friends growing up in Dallas in 1963, a time when image and style were more important than brains and ambition. Joanne is a sweet, naive southern girl. Mary is very confident. Kathy is the planner. We visit the three of them in their final year at high school, as sorority heads in their final year of college, in a dramatic reunion in their thirties after several years apart, and finally (an Act added to the original play) at the age of forty. The musical explores how these women’s warped view of the world shaped them, for better and worse, through a rich original score that blends girl group harmonies of the 60s and 70s with a contemporary musical theatre score.
In A Nutshell:
Can three Texas girls live their dreams when they have to leave their studies behind ?
Production:
The UK premiere of 'Vanities: The Musical' was in the cosy surroundings of Trafalgar Studios' underground Studio 2. The draw for me were the three leads - Lauren Samuels (whom I had very much enjoyed in 'Bend it Like Beckham'), Ashleigh Gray (whom I saw in 'Cool Rider' - a concert-style staging of 'Grease 2', that will probably form another of these posts) and Lizzy Connolly (whom I saw as 'Jolene' in 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'). Therefore, on 27th September 2016, I made my way to the Trafalgar Studios, ensuring that I went down the stairs, with 'The Naked Magicians' appearing upstairs.
Taking my seat in the small auditorium, with the audience on three sides of the stage, I found myself looking at three dressing tables, with three doorways next to them. The show starts with the three sitting in front of their own mirrors then taking showers for cheerleading practice, with 'brownie points' immediately earnt by the multi-tasking of changing out of their towelling 'dresses' into their cheerleading outfits, whilst singing the opening number, and managing not to expose anything. Act I (High School) was my favourite, with some of the best songs, and an unintended joke when Kathy decides that the theme for the upcoming 'Football Dance' should be 'Over the Rainbow' (the show that originally brought Lauren (Mary) to public attention). Act II continued the themes, and Act III (after the interval) provided the drama as the three discussed their non-achieved dreams, with Lizzy's drunken acting being a highlight. The final (added) Act allowed the possibility of reconciliation after Act III's revelations. For some reason (maybe that I've recently reached 40 myself, leading to reminiscence) the themes really struck home with me, along with the highly-hummable tunes.
'Vanities - The Musical' ran at the Trafalgar Studios in London from 1st September 2016 to 1st October 2016.
Signature Song:
Quite difficult to pick one, but I am going for "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" (closely followed by "That Same Old Music")
Links:
Hear Lauren, Ashleigh and Lizzy perform "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" in this promotional video.
Production website.
Some of the other songs can be found here.
