The Confession of Lily Dare
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Cititour.com Review
While the masks of comedy and tragedy are universal in the theater world, the legendary Charles Busch has sported the symbols of comedy and melodrama with singular panache for decades. Fortunately, that winning if unlikely combination has now scored Busch another success with the highly diverting “The Confession of Lily Dare,” now being presented by Primary Stages at the Cherry Lane Theatre. And even if this isn’t Busch’s funniest play – although there are plenty of moments that will make you laugh out loud (sometimes even too loudly) – it may be among his most moving, thanks in large part to the utter sincerity Busch often brings to the title character.
Set over a period of nearly 50 years, the two-hour work details the riches-to-rags-to-riches-to-rags tale of Lily, whom we first meet as an overprivileged yet naïve teen sent to live with her aunt, a notorious San Francisco madam, after the death of her mother. As time goes on, Lily enjoys brief success as a glamorous Dietrich-like cabaret singer, ends up in jail for five years after taking the fall for a local gangster – during which she loses custody of her only daughter – rises from the ashes of the San Francisco earthquake to become a super-successful madam and real-estate mogul and then loses everything, except her dignity, after the Depression.
On B.T. Whitehill’s minimally yet creatively decorated set, each sequence plays out almost as if lifted from a silent movie – with director Carl Andress and lighting designer Kirk Bookman crafting appropriate end-of-scene closeups -- and Busch periodically shows off his trademark flair for wearing tight-fitting, ultra-glamorous costumes (by Jessica Jahn) reminiscent of those veteran big-screen sirens. Busch has also long mastered the vocal delivery of these much-missed women, although he never resorts to mere imitation. More importantly, though, he brings real humanity to the character of Lily, who is often the victim of other’s machinations and whose heart beats unfailingly no matter how tight the corset.
As has often been the case, Busch – both as writer and actor – shows enormous generosity to his castmates, especially the other women on stage. Frequent collaborator Jennifer Van Dyck is excellent in numerous roles, but particularly shines like a supernova as Lily’s grown daughter, Louise, a beautiful if slightly ditzy girl who rises to superstardom in the opera world. In just a few scenes where we observe Louise nervously preparing to sing the role of Violetta in “La Traviata,” Van Dyck is nothing short of hilarious as she appears to be on the verge of a complete breakdown or, at the very least, a fainting spell.
Meanwhile, the ever-adorable Nancy Anderson, best known for her work in musical theater, handily tackles the role of Emmy Lou, the wise-cracking yet sweet-hearted hooker with a heart of a gold who becomes Lily’s lifelong confidante. Kendal Sparks and Howard McGillin do what they can with the rather one-dimensional parts of ultra-supportive piano player Mickey and the amoral Blackie Lambert, while Christopher Borg proves utterly delightful in a variety of small roles from a prison priest to the exasperated maestro who has to deal with the jittery Louise.
They say confession is good for the soul. Honestly, I’m not sure that “The Confession of Lily Dare” will make your soul feel better, but it will definitely put a big smile on your lips!
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://primarystages.org/shows/current-season/the-confession-of-lily-dare/
Cast
Charles Busch, Nancy Anderson, Christopher Borg, Howard McGillin, Kendal Sparks, and Jennifer Van Dyck
Open/Close Dates
Opening 1/29/2020
Closing Open-ended
Theatre Info
Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce Street
New York, NY 10014
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