MASQUERADE FOLLIES
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Only a few numbers into the program Joey Brooks appeared in the guise of Dolly Parton, although he looked more like a cross between Tammy Faye Bakker and Meat Loaf. Drawing on Dolly’s homespun, gregarious nature, Brooks made a rehearsed attempt to rally the little audience. He would have done better to call it an evening right then and there. But, in the worst tradition of show business, the show went on, and on.
If anything, Masquerade Follies is comprehensive. Aside from such staples as Monroe, Garland, Ross, Midler, and Minnelli, the evening’s bill included impersonations of Dietrich, Hayworth, Streisand, Bette Davis, Julie Andrews, Tina Turner, Katharine Hepburn, and (why not?) Michael Jackson. And that’s not the half of it. The amazing thing is, what with this huge cast of characters, and five female impersonators engaged in a frenzy of wig and costume changes, that none of the impersonations really hit the mark. The best of the lot was Tracy Davis’s performance of–and this is really going to make you wince–Liza Minnelli singing “New York, New York.” But even here the portrait was askew, because I’ve seen Minnelli live, and Davis lacks her bogus enthusiasm and repulsive sentimentality.
Yet there’s dancing, which sure enough proved to be the most memorable part of the evening. Right from the opening number, when one of the male dancers attempted to lift one of the female dancers and nearly crumbled under the effort, I knew I was in for a treat. Later on in the show there were a few spills, although nothing tragic or really worth mentioning. Nor is the supporting cast capable of rescuing this show through dance alone. Indeed, Brien Fisher could use a little support himself, and one can be picked up at any sports or dance store. Yet not quite hidden among these occasionally stumbling, absurdly smiling avocational hoofers is a single true professional–Kimberly Rheam.
