The Heart & Dagger romp at Club Café this Tues, Wed,
Thurs only (ending the 25th) melds the naughtiness of FORBIDDEN
BROADWAY to the gender bending of a SPLIT BRITCHES parody, glued together by
the audacity of Mickey and Judy’s “Hey, kids. Let’s put on a show!”
Their spoof called DOLLS AS GUYS (which marries GUYS &
DOLLS to WEST SIDE STORY) makes for a wild and wooly mash up. Heart &
Dagger showcases some of Boston’s
best chameleons… make that comedians… but definitely make that “some of.”
Joey Pelletier is always grande as a dame and his Adelaide’s Lament is a
delight, as is his indignant duet with Lindsay Eagle as Nathan Detroit. Eagle
is spectacular in drag. Cam Cronin (in six-inch, strappy, bright red stilettos)
steals the show with his “I Feel Pretty,” high notes and all! And music
director James Sims is drop dead gorgeous as the Salvation Army doll.
I should add that the men are forced to sing in an
uncomfortable high range – which they do without any visible effort – and the
women visa versa, in a successful, unnatural low range. Melissa Barker as
Nicely-Nicely pulls it off, well, nicely, and she brings down the house with a
rousing “Sit Down.”
A little (well, maybe a lot of) make-up and the guys are
really attractive women. (Alas, the opposite is not true.) Take Mike Budwey.
His Melania Trump – you knew politics would infiltrate this mob – pouts and
struts her stuff like a pro. Only one of the goodfellas let his guard down and
didn’t that ol’ tune just give him the slip! Well, never mind. With the
exception of the notes that got away, this DOLLS AS GUYS is a harmless, mostly
hilarious and much appreciated diversion to the harsh world outside.
