Joan Rivers comes back to vibrant life in Daniel Goldstein’s “Joan” at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa (continuing in its world premiere through Nov 24.) Unlike “Funny Girl,” the focus of this non-musical drama is a woman’s lifelong aspiration to make audiences laugh, and that’s as it should be. It’s also funny.
The trail-blazing comic was a force of nature, like a tsunami, daughter Melissa tells us, and that more than comes across in the play. Joan’s mother tells her she needs a man despite her success, but to her credit she also tells the comedy icon she’s proud of her.
The cast is uniformly superb, headed by Tessa Auberjonois’ dead-on impersonation of Rivers, with Elinor Gunn’s down-to-earth Melissa in contrast, and Andrew Borba and OC native Zachary Prince in multiple roles. The show’s innovative device of having Auberjonois also play Joan’s mother opposite Gunn as the young Joan is as winning as it is clever.
David Ivers’s direction keeps things running smoothly, with Melissa Rivers serving as creative consultant. Whether his direction or Beth Lake’s sound design is the culprit for the only sour note in this 100-minute confection is unclear. But having actors shout much of the play into handheld mics wasn’t the best choice, and the dialogue suffers for it. For info: scr.org.
You have to give high fives to an artist who knows what works for her. You don’t remain a crowd-pleaser as long Bernadette Peters without knowing, of course. No surprise then that she trotted out such favorite numbers as “There is Nothin’ Like a Dame”—teasing the lyrics with delightful sensuality—in her recent Pacific Symphony engagement at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.
“Fever,” another fave in the repertoire that results in her signature stunt (reclining on a piano), was like “Dame” a concert highlight. Her artistry is on full display when she performs the work of her favorite composer, Stephen Sondheim. We’ve all heard “Send in the Clowns” one too many times, but Peters sings it better than anyone else. And she gives “No One Is Alone” a heartfelt, soulful quality all her own.
This was the fourth time I’ve seen Bernadette, and I wasn’t disappointed. I seriously doubt anyone was. She sounded as good as she ever has, and she still looks great—easily twenty years younger than her reported age.
The Pacific Symphony Pops concert, ably conducted by Enrico Lopez-Yañez, also saluted Peters with compositions by Gershwin, Cohan, and Jerry Herman, in a nod to her work on Broadway. I felt Cohan fared best but the orchestra did right by all of them with a solid performance.
Hot tip: The Wayward Artist in Santa Ana has decided to fold their tent. The company’s last show is “The Children,” written by Lucy Kirkwood and directed by founding artistic director Craig Tyrl (through Nov. 17). For info: thewaywardartist.org.
Tessa Auberjonois and Andrew Borba in “Joan.” Photo courtesy Scott Smeltzer/SCR.
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