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| 'Cloris!' not quite as sweet as she is herself | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Chris Page, Tribune | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| February 8, 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ironic, then, that her latest role - simply being herself - is proving such a challenge. Following in the footsteps of fellow grandes dames Bea Arthur and Elaine Stritch, Leachman is staging her own one-woman show, "Cloris!" which she's workshopping at the Tempe Center for the Arts' studio theater through Saturday. Elegant and disarmingly sweet, 81-year-old Leachman treads a simple sitting-room stage equipped with baby grand piano and projection screen. When she's not detailing her life story - Iowa girl yearns for father's attention, parlays that into acting success - she's showing clips from favorite roles or flexing her considerable chops on the keyboard. (Any octogenarian who can blaze through "Rhapsody in Blue" deserves accolades.) For the most part Leachman charms in spite of her script, written by her ex-husband, also the show's director, George Englund. There's a kind of insincerity in its scattershot, stilted structure, hoping to overcome the simple fact that Leachman has never been a force of personality; as a character actress, her job has always been to disappear into roles. (Plus, darn it, she's too nice to dish real dirt on co-stars, a la Arthur and Stritch.) Yet what could be poignant anecdotes - her father issues; a son that died from a drug overdose in the 1980s - pass by without sufficient exploration. Thank goodness for workshops; this is a first draft in need of rewrite. The end result, then, is an ankle-deep celebration of an actress' career, a vanity project that could be much, much more. The most genuine, adorable moment happens at the end: Leachman, pondering how to end the show, steps out into the audience and opens her arms. "What's me?" she ponders. "I realized, it's giving hugs." THEATER REVIEW 'Cloris!’ What: Oscar and Emmy winner’s one-woman show When: 8 p.m. today; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday Where: Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway Cost: $30-$35 Contact: (480) 350-2822 or tca.ticketforce.com — Grade: C Contact Chris Page by email, or phone (480) 898-5656 |
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