Will the gilmore girl will out? Well she did not and the show closed losing all of its investors’ money. TV’s very attractive and charming lead in the hit series, The Gilmore Girls, Lauren Graham played the lamentable Adelaide in this now by gone production. I think that is unfortunate because the show had many wonderful things going for it, not to mention a dour interpretation of Nat Detroit by Oliver Platt. Near the end of the show, when Platt exclaims, “I don’t know if I have a soul” I believed him as Nathan as I believed no interpretation before as funny and frantic as Nathan Lane and Douglas Hodge were in previous productions (New York and London). And the production was cinematic and rushed along like a speeding A train.
The main problem with this production was the vacuum left by the two leading ladies, Ms Graham and Kate Jennings Grant. Ms. Grant’s approached her role as Sarah Brown, straight laced Salvation Army crusader, as a caffeinated cheerleader going into the playoff season. More the pity because she is a striking beauty with a graceful presence and a lilting yet strong voice. She just is not believable for a moment. Ms. Graham’s Adelaide is sexy, vulnerable, confused and ultimately determined as all good Adelaide’s are, However her performance is so small and not focused moment to moment that she seems almost amateurish which she clearly is not. The problem is one cannot develop stage technique and a commanding presence literally in a few weeks or months.
As I walked out of the theatre, I thought of the famous story about the pre Broadway run of MY FAIR LADY. Moss Hart closed down the rehearsals for all except Julie Andrew for a week. His only goal was to find the right temperament and tone for Andrew’s portrayal of Eliza Doolittle. He knew he could get a gutsy, defiance and although resilient performance out of her although it had alluded her up until that point. They both succeeded, and the rest is for the theatre record books.
Why did not Des Macduff or someone else – some of those many producers must have known or at least suspected that more help needed to be done with these two ladies in particular? Yet no one to my knowledge, stopped the preview or rehearsal period and said, let’s see if we can rethink what is not working or strengthen what is barely there.
As I stated the show has since closed; what could have been was not. Was it the ego of the performers? The blind faith in the television viewing public who were going to flock to see the gilmore girl in person? I do not know – however it seems that a hard choice was avoided – and the show barely went on.
