June 5-18, 2001
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Theater
"The Grave White Way" Gives its Regards to Broadway. |
The Grave White Way
***
The finest thing about The Grave White Way, Joe Patrick Ward’s new revue now roasting the musical genre at the Hudson
Backstage, is the richly talented ensemble. Craig A. Curtis, Joshua Finkel, Lesli Margherita, Amy Rutberg, and Shannon Stoeke present uniformly
impressive vocal and comedic abilities. The second finest aspect is the sense of congenial daffiness choreographer Kay Cole achieves in this chronological skewering of the American
musical. Cole, a graduate of the gypsy pool herself, leaves few clichès unturned, with an Oklahoma! parody wickedly apt, and a
musicalized
Miracle Worker done á la Fosse that is priceless. The material may well delight Carol Burnett Show fanatics, and the gimmick of bringing on a guest star—on opening night Broadway
legend John Raitt, leaping time with decades to spare—is a clever bit of tomfoolery. Certainly there is fun to be had on The Grave White Way.
The Grave White Way is at the Hudson Backstage Theatre, 6537 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd, (310) 289-2999. Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m, Sun., 7 p.m, through
June 17.