Molly Pope
A Star Is Born
Feinstein’s/54 Below, NYC, September 28th, 2016
Reviewed by Randolph B. Eigenbrode for Cabaret Scenes
There is a moment early on in A Star Is Born where Molly Pope asks the audience, “Have you had enough, as the Republicans used to say?” and the answer is, as always, a resounding—NO!
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Pope’s new immersive theatrical cabaret experience combines monologues, scenes and songs from the 1954 film classic of the same name, featuring original songs by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin, to create a vehicle for the pastiche-voiced singer. And that’s a tall order with Judy Garland’s shadow looming on the signature piece.
Of course, on paper, the idea is a brilliant one. Showcasing Pope’s voice, which so often recalls Garland’s, and a rousing score chock full of tour-de-force bravado might, perhaps, inspire the business to see Pope’s potential and finally create a work tailored to her immense talent—mirroring the storyline of heroine Esther Blodgett.
The show’s opener, “Gotta Have Me Go With You,” sizzled with Pope’s dazzling showmanship and Ben Cameron’s choreography, recalling Kay Thompson in the golden age of supper club acts. Backed by dance duo Brian Beach and Danny Bevins, the star set her course for an exciting evening. Pope, in fabulous voice, shaped each song with superior craftsmanship—vulnerability via vibrato, confidence in crescendo and fully finessed phrasing. Attacking the entire “Born in a Trunk” sequence (that song is by Leonard Gershe anchoring the sequence filled with mostly short versions of many pre-existing numbers) is no easy feat, yet Pope fashioned the material fearlessly—landing the humor and having a blast all while navigating showbiz pizzazz, even if not totally at home in her terpsichorean abilities.
It was “Someone at Last” that revealed Pope at her best. Witnessing emotions coming at 90 mph, she found an honest smile to cultivate a joyous bittersweetness. Indeed, a star was born.
Yet, with all the ballyhoo, the piece loses focus once Esther first mentions the character of Norman Maine.
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Suddenly numbers like “Lose That Long Face” feel tedious and overwrought, and the deconstructions that seemed to iris the strength and tenacity of the leading lady instead victimize her. Perhaps this is due to Garland’s fragile martyr appeal; audiences want to protect her at her weakest and feel like champions when she triumphs. Pope, unlike Garland, does not possess this innate suffering dynamic and, rather, has always displayed a survivor sensibility. If her A Star Is Born does not fully realize, it is only because the authentic persona of Molly Pope doesn’t fit the tailor-made vehicle for Garland’s sentiment.
Still, Pope defiantly dares the audience to champion her in her encore, “I’m Off the Downbeat,” which was written for the original film, but cut before it was ever recorded by Garland. (Interestingly, Michael Feinstein tracked down this obscure music and gifted it to Pope.) Here, by restoring that trademark stamp—a complex yet confident talent who always knows where she’s going. And when backed by the spectacular MGM orchestra-sounding band of Brian Nash (who also was Musical Director), Jeremy Yaddaw, Adam Neely and Rob Mosher, there’s no doubt that Pope is a star to be reckoned with.
