Bea Arthur, Damn It!
The Stonewall Inn, NYC, May 27, 2023
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
The intimate second-floor cabaret room at the historic Stonewall Inn was a perfect venue for this unpretentious and delightful tribute to gay icon Bea Arthur. The program encompassed her career on Broadway, on television, and in concert with a wide range of songs from Cy Coleman and Jerry Herman to ABBA (yes, they tied it in). As directed and scripted by P. William Pinto, the afternoon featured three talented female performers, the glamorous Alexis Braxton, the belter Miss Jane Aquilina, and the propulsive Miss Robusta Capp, who often sounded like the honoree of the hour (and a half). When they greeted the full house with “Hey There, Good Times” it was a promise that was fulfilled.
Such Bea Arthur standards as the delightful and double entendre-filled “What Can You Get a Nudist for Her Birthday” and the powerful “Pirate Jenny” were both delivered with style by Aquilina. Braxton scintillated through such numbers as “Hard-Hearted Hannah” and a surprisingly soulful “The Man in the Moon Is a Lady” with incredible style and flair. Capp was surprisingly touching with “It Never Was You” and exuded pure power as she belted out Mama Rose’s “Some People,” a role that Arthur certainly could have nailed. But the highlights came when the three performers joined forces for some great close harmony arrangements (created by the cast and music director Wendy Ip) of “Fernando,” “And Then There’s Maude,” and “Where Do You Start?”
The afternoon wasn’t without its problems. At 90+ minutes, it was simply too much of a good thing, and some judicious trimming of the song list would have benefited what remained. Some of the patter went in pointless directions: a mention of Arthur’s creating the role of Yente in Fiddler on the Roof abruptly led to a song from Mame with no connection offered. There was also a lot of conversation back and forth with audience members, many of whom seemed to be family members of the cast; that was cute and friendly, but it added to the length of the show.
On the other hand, the camaraderie among the four women on stage, including Ip, gave a lovely glow to the afternoon. They truly seemed to enjoy working together in various combinations on the trios and duets of the show, including the charmingly goofy “Everybody Today Is Turnin’ On,” the sharp “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” and the inevitable “Bosom Buddies.” There was also a lovely sentimental closing in “Goodnight, but Not Goodbye,” followed by an “encore” of the theme song from The Golden Girls. Bea Arthur was a major personality who continues to entrance, and this was a fitting tribute to her.
