August 28, 2006

'Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me' a comedic feast

Alexandra Farkas joins NewYorkology as a contributor today, weighing in with a review of the new Martin Short comedy revue on Broadway. Farkas, whose tastes run from Ibsen to the Tiger Lillies has directed Off-Off- Broadway productions of classic and contemporary plays. This October she will take part in the IGNITE Festival at the Ohio Theater in Soho.

Whether you think Martin Short is all that or are just in need of a really good laugh, "Fame Becomes Me" is well worth checking out. The bio-musical is running at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater through the end of the year.

If you believe Short and his incredibly versatile co-stars, one-man shows are always about the star’s adventure to hell and back, but Short doesn’t have any sordid stories to tell, so they have to make them up. If they’re having half as much fun telling these tall tales as they seem, fabricating stories is the best job in the world. Directed and co-written by Scott Wittman, with music by Marc Shaiman -- who together are responsible for a little show you might have heard of called "Hairspray" -- the production is a feast of what Short does best – short sketches of over-the-top personalities that make it hard for you to breathe.

Many of his best-known characters from his "Saturday Night Live" years make an appearance. Ed Grimley only gets a cameo, but Jackie Rogers Jr., Short’s alleged childhood alter-ego, sets the stage for some of his most wicked impersonations. Rogers interviews a spot-on Katherine Hepburn who later trash talks a boozy Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, all courtesy of Short. The great thing about all these characters is that you don’t need to know them to love them, in fact it might be better if you don’t. Short’s Katherine Hepburn has lost some of her bite, and if you really are an Ed Grimley fan, you’ll be left wondering why he only gets a walk-on part and Irving Cohen gets a whole song.

Of them all, Jiminy Glick, that narcissistic, passive aggressive celebrity leech absolutely steals the show. Each night he picks out whatever celebrity happens to be in the audience and absolutely sandbags them until you get stomach cramps.

Chris Noth ("Sex in the City’s" Mr. Big,) was in the hot seat one night during previews and gamely handled questions like “Did they call you Mr. Big because of what’s in your pants?,” and then literally fell out of his chair laughing as Glick worked himself into a tizzy about a piece of lint. If you’re lucky enough to see the bit again, you’ll fall out of your seat, too. For the record, Mr. Big clarified, “It’s Noth, like ‘both.’” Glick had a grand old time playing with that bit.

His cast mates, Brooks Ashmanskas, Mary Birdsong, Nicole Parker, Capathia Jenkins and composer Marc Shaiman are equally hilarious. At one point, Short’s hauled off to rehab and they need someone to replace him. The curtain closes and suddenly everyone from a drunk, pregnant Britney Spears to Liza Minnelli show up for the part. Ashmanskas has a great moment as the Broadway legend Tommy Tune, playing him as the bitchiest, randiest, choreographer on stilts the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater has ever seen.

The theater, named for the late producer and president of The Shubert Organization, also makes its way into the show. In fact, there’s little that Short and his team don’t poke fun at, but mostly it’s at just how fine a life he’s had. He almost seems annoyed at himself, though there’s no reason. On top of being clever and funny, he can also sing and dance like a real Broadway star.

It’s easy to forget just how much hoofing he’s done in his career, since most of us know it as humming and mincing. But he’s been on Broadway twice before, winning a Tony for his performance in 1998’s revival of "Little Me." With other performers you can be lulled into thinking that their nightmarish experiences have made them the talented people that they are, but clearly well-adjusted works just fine for Martin Short.

"Fame Becomes Me" plays through December 31 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater, located at 242 W. 45th St., map.

August 28, 2006 11:25 AM in Broadway

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