Looped Paperback – April 7, 2019

I recently had the opportunity to see this play at one of our local theaters and found it hilarious. I had to have a copy of the play to relive the insanely funny dialogue. I am so glad I did. I've reread the play many times and can't help but Burt out laughing each time.

Valerie Harper was definitely the one to see in this role as Tallulah. (I would also have seen Elizabeth Ashley's earlier take or Stephanie Power's later tour - all ladies filling a big character with lots of 'lush' life.) When it finally made it to Broadway, Harper was praised (Tony nom for Best Actress)and went on talk shows but the show itself did 60 performances total between previews to closing. The script is a little laborious - it focuses on Tallulah being coaxed to do one line of redubbing for her last film but the other surprises about other characters aren't really a surprise for today's audiences. This might've had a longer run if it had been done 10 or 20 years earlier. It has some good material in both acts, but only holds up depending on the woman who pulls out the stops for her Tallulah.