TALLULAH’S BACK IN TOWN, DAHLING!
“Don’t touch my purse! Touching a woman’s purse is like touching her vagina! Except, I can only put so much in my purse.”
Not quite a lady-like quote for 1965, huh? Welcome to the world of screen star Tallulah Bankhead, a stage actress best known for her role in the 1944 film Lifeboat. (Well, that’s not completely true; she’s was also famous for throwing off her clothes at parties, for leaving her bathroom door open, and for working without panties on.) Tallulah was full of spit and fire (as well as booze and cocaine) while masked in beauty and couture. While most celebrities would try to downplay their sexual exploits (and hers were with both men and women), to Tallulah they were bragging rights and the source of great tales for her — especially when she wanted to shock someone.
Matthew Lombardo’s Looped — a bona fide hit now playing at Scripps Ranch Theatre for a ridiculously short run (it closes on Sunday) — takes us to one day in the life of Tallulah, based on a real event in the summer of ’65. One line in her upcoming movie, Die Die My Darling!, was garbled so film editor Danny Miller calls her back to “loop” the line – overdubbing it in exact time to her lips moving – so the scene will be audible. Danny anticipates this taking just a few minutes so that he can get on with some personal plans that he has that day. He has not yet met the likes of Tallulah, for whom distraction is a near art-form. The fun of the show is the dynamic of Danny desperately wanting to get the take done and Tallulah having little interest in getting down to business. While it’s very much a show about Tallulah, the entertainment value is in the ups and downs of pair’s dynamics as they get to know one another. Initially, Tallulah is very handsy with him, expecting her feminine wiles to work as usual, but Danny is a tough nut to crack, as he just wants to get the work done and leave. Over the course of The Roustabouts Theatre Company‘s production, it becomes an intriguing contest of wills.
Overall, it’s a delightfully robust take on this great self-sabotaging starlet who’d rather be the life of the party than feed her own success. Director Phil Johnson brings out so much of what’s already great and funny in the style of local staple Eileen Bowman. With Lombardo’s great script overflowing (like Tallulah’s drinks) with zingers, Ms. Bowman creates an outlandishly hilarious portrayal of this grandiose icon.
In correspondence with the playwright, I confirmed that Danny is a creation of his imagination, not an actual person, and this was a great choice; Danny’s the perfect foil to bring out the good, the bad, and the ugly in Tallulah. Alex Guzman, recently off the very different Henry 6 at The Old Globe, shows his range as the straight man to Bowman’s clownery but also allows for more tenderness in Act II. Likewise, as entertaining as Bowman is, if the script was all about Tallulah, it might grow tired after two hours. Happily, Tallulah takes a journey through Danny’s prodding and Bowman shines in both subtle and overt changes.
The show is almost only the two of them, but the script adds humorous support with Steve (Chris Braden), a droll, disembodied technician’s voice who occasionally comments on their drama. Which is ironic, since Tallulah was originally played by Valerie Harper, whose TV show Rhoda also prominently featured a voice whose face was never seen.
Considering how engaging Looped is, it’s surprising to discover that Looped did poorly on Broadway with Harper. Whether it benefitted from the more intimate setting here, or a difference in direction under Mr. Johnson, or the chemistry of this terrific duo on stage, Roustabouts has found the right fuel to drive home a winner.
photos of Alex Guzman & Eileen Bowman by Daren Scott
Looped
The Roustabouts Theatre Company
Scripps Ranch Theatre, 9783 Avenue of Nations in San Diego
remaining performances:
Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 7:30
Friday, October 18, 2024 at 7:30 (Diva Night)
Saturday, October 19, 2024 at 2 & 7:30
Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 2
for tickets, visit Roustabouts
“I hate scotch! I gave my dog a sip of scotch and he
had to lick his ass to get the taste out of his mouth!“
