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| Labohn Lovingly Sends Up Dames and Damsels in Dazzling Doctor's Fund Show |
by Bruce-Michael Gelbert
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| Photo by Joseph R. Saporito |
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"Dames, Damsels and Dumb Blondes," the 11th annual Doctor's Fund Benefit, at Cherry Grove's Community House on July 14, offered, as expected, an embarrassment of cross-dressing riches and the chance to laugh heartily until it hurt. Donald Labohn conceived, directed and, as Sylvia, one of the Shapiro Sisters (along with partner Evan Kane, as Shirley), was one of the stars of the show. Meryl Facterman, Lois McIntosh, and the Arts Project of Cherry Grove (APCG) co-produced. Perennial card girl Cobra made the most of carrying placards announcing the titles of the acts.
... visit the gallery by Bruce-Michael Gelbert & Joseph R. Saporito
Women were the subject of the send-ups and Luisa Verde, the Shapiros, Donna Piranha, and Charity, as a bunch of hard "dames," arrayed in a "great big rainbow" of colors, got right down to business, declaring, "I'm a red-hot mama ... (with a heart of gold)." S&M was the topic of "And are her cheeks red," with Urban Sprawl, knowing, like Madonna, what "Some girls" want, inviting Bobby Ferri to "spank me" and indulge in other "hanky panky"-a veritable bodice ripper, with Urban tearing open Bobby's shirt (deliberately) and losing part of her own padded bosom (accidentally)-and of "What every woman demands," a whip-wielding, high black booted, and bustier-wearing Ann Phetamine's scorching take on Aretha Franklin's "R-E-S-P-E-C-T." Talented Ann choreographed her own number and, in "These dames really need one," that of reigning Homecoming Queen Lola Galore, vamping us in Grace Jones' "I Need a Man," backed by Ann and Coco Love, all in big, big hair and glitzy gold short dresses and high heels.
In "Why guys do it," Doctor's Fund President Joanne Tavis, Doreen Rallo, and Bobbie Green took center stage, as a trio of suave, shady gamblers, for the title song from "Guys and Dolls." In "The only thing missing," dapper Doreen confided that she had almost everything, but that "All I Need Now Is the Girl." Bobbie, in highest drag, was the answer to her prayers, which led to some energetic hoofing from this duo. In "Let a woman in your life," Joan Van Ness made a perfectly composed Henry Higgins, the arch-misogynist from "My Fair Lady," until completely undone by the very thought of the chaos of coupling, not to mention by the climactic assault by a quartet of lovelies, led by Charity. In "A sailor's lament," Doreen, Joan, Bobbie and Joanne swabbed down the deck to strains of "There Is Nothing Like a Dame," and upended and danced with their mops, doubling as those longhaired "dames."
"These women had that certain something," promised Cobra's sign, and that "je ne sais quoi," Donna and the Shapiros asserted, was "Personality," though they stressed more physical attributes. "She craves attention" was Donna's star turn, with a sexy "Big Spender" addressed to swain Roger Cortez who, despite her best efforts, lay there like a lox until she doffed her wig and he disclosed cross-dressing tendencies of his own. Maybe "you can't get a man with a gun," as Irving Berlin's Annie Oakley told us, but you can certainly use a pistol to get rid of a mate, as "Desperate Housewife" Shirley Shapiro proved, triumphantly offing her abusive Joe (Dan Daly) in "If You Hadn't, But You Did."
In "What can she be thinking?" Dan waltzed off with a delighted Luisa under date Gary's very nose, confirming what he already knew: "She's not thinking of me." Gary ended by tossing a glass of champagne at Luisa, an allusion perhaps to a notorious local incident from the start of last season. In "Cherry Grove women ... real and not so real," the line "I'll take a vodka with a splash," in pianist and singer Dan's original rocking tribute to Grove queens and women, was a cue for another tossed drink--at a portrait of Jeannie Lieberman. Other "sexy señoritas" Dan gently, or not so gently, poked fun at were Panzi, Jacqueline Jonée, Lola, Donna, Cobra, the Shapiros (whom he charged with "moonlighting as mohels"), Charity, and Meryl. In "This blonde ain't so dumb," red-hot mama Charity delivered her declaration of independence in red-hot mama Sophie Tucker's song "I'm Living Alone and I Like It."
In a three-part salute to "Women of the world," Luisa was a Latin beauty, assisted by a pair of rather fresh puppets in sombreros, for "Mama, yo quiero;" a Francophile Coco proffered Edith Piaf's "La Goulante du Pauvre Jean" and evinced annoyance at Luisa's puppets for interjecting; and the Shapiros lustily recalled the old country-its spirit, its food, and its wine-Barry Sisters-style, in "Rumania, Rumania," in Yiddish. "Are they out of her league?" queried Cobra's placard, when Gary, assisted by Bobby and Dan, as attendants in a garage designed by Gary and Luisa, wooed "Uptown Girl" Mae Bush (Dominic DeSantis in a guest appearance) into trading a chauffeur-driven Mercedes Benz, piloted by Doreen, for a scooter adorned with a "Just Married" sign.
Heralded by the announcement "Our finale will have you spinning," the last word, which arrived far too soon, belonged to elegantly tuxedoed Joanne, with "Real Live Girl" as her solo, backed by the company, dressed to the nines, with the guys holding poles of an elaborate carousel, devised by Harold Seeley, and the gals circling round at its center.
In a curtain speech, Donald/Sylvia gratefully acknowledged contributions of the guest stars and entire cast; President Ceejay Rosen and the APCG Board; technical crew Matt Baney, Alison Brackman, Michael Romanelli and Sherri Rase; stage crew Arthur Cohen, Peg Ryan and Jane Haber; Bradshaw Smith, for videotaping the show and making a donation to the fund; set designers Harold, Gary and Luisa; Urban (Richard Cooley), for seeing to wigs and makeup; Joanne, for her "tireless efforts" on behalf of the Doctor's Fund, Elmer A. Lindsay Memorial Center, guaranteeing the presence of a doctor in the Grove; and partner Evan/Shirley, with "He may be Jewish, but he's a saint."
Donald is already contemplating the theme for next season's show.
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