Mary Lahti
Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda:
My (Almost) Life on the Wicked Stage
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, February 26, 2022
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Mary Lahti is simply a force of nature—a singer, a dancer, a comedienne, a storyteller. Her delightful show Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda details the frustrating side of show business as she regaled the audience with tales (all true according to director Lennie Watts) of her near misses at some of the choicest roles in musical theater, proving how perfect she would have been for each one of them. Entering to the razzle-dazzle theme from The Bugs Bunny Show, “This Is It!,” as she stormed the stage, she launched into a terrific medley of “Welcome to the Theater,” “Applause,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Broadway Baby,” and “On Broadway,” followed by the clever establishing number in “The Lady’s Improving” (Chad Beguelin/Matthew Sklar). Not only was this all tremendously fun, but it demonstrated that a lot of theatrical intelligence went into the creation of the program.
A clever use of several numbers from the musical Grease
highlighted her coming close to getting the role of Sandy, only to be upstaged
by the returning golden star of the company. She sang “You’re the One That I
Want” but, sadly, she wasn’t the one. On the other hand, a production of Company
with an uncertain (and alcoholic) director and a constant merry-go-round of
actors led to her being constantly recast up to a very unexpected role. “You
Could Drive a Person Crazy,” indeed. Her segment about her almost being Lady
Larkin in Once Upon a Mattress logically led to the New York debut of
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Red Shoes Blues” from their version of The
Wizard of Oz. It was a worthy diva moment for Lahti.
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With her strong belting voice and her ability to turn pain into humor, Lahti brings to mind the late, fabulous Dorothy Loudon. But even that Broadway icon couldn’t dance the way our star did, as she recreated Michael Bennett’s choreography for “The Music and the Mirror.” (Curiously. her story was about the role of Val in A Chorus Line rather than Cassie, but who wants to quibble.) It was a dynamite performance, especially given the small space allowed her for her explosion of movement and passion. Left breathless at the end, as the audience enthusiastically offered their approbation, she turned to her music director Paul Greenwood and inquired if he was alright, adding to the amusement. She had previously described the veteran musician as “my Vera to my Mame, my Jud to my Curly.”
There were many more stories and numbers to be enjoyed in this unique cabaret show shared by the leading lady and wisely supported by her director and her music director. Lahti is a joy, and her show reflects her perfectly.
