Marriott Marquis, 2pm performance
I bow down to Donny & Marie: A Broadway Christmas, the most fantabulous show of the past year. I am not even worthy of licking the flop sweat off Marie’s sequined platform shoes. Yes, technically it’s the first show I’ve seen in 2011, but I’m grouping it with the 2010 holiday anyway.
Trish, Val, Juan and I had the privilege of seeing their final show of the season from wonderful side orchestra seats. Thank you, TDF! How is it humanly possible that Donny and Marie are both in their 50s? Sure, Donny’s got a bit of that middle-aged gut and Marie’s almost Asian with all the work she’s had done to her face, but they both sounded and looked fantastic otherwise. These two are the hardest working Mormons on the Broadway.
From their grand entrance through a haze of fog via hydraulic lifts, to the video screens flanking the stage and endless staircase-ography, the audience was enthralled in rapturous joy for two intermission-less hours. It was a non-stop barrage of shrieking, screaming, yelling, clapping and standing ovations (yes, at least 3 or 4 mid-show) from their adoring audience - me included.
It’s difficult to describe the show. It’s equal parts rock concert, Vegas club act, variety show and music video wrapped in a thick layer of delicious cheese. Marie’s got the legs of an 18 year old hooker and Donny’s tenor is still effortless and swoon-worthy. There were endless bits about Donny’s win on DWTS and about his difficulty keeping up with the young dancers onstage. And the wise-cracking-younger-sister-always-getting-the-last-word dynamic that worked so well on their TV show is still knocking ‘em dead 40 years later. These two have more charisma and stage presence than 30 Brittney Spears combined. They know exactly how to manipulate an audience into a screaming frenzy (literally).
Though billed as a Christmas show, the duo built the evening around their many pop hits. Each performed an extended set. Marie, in addition to serenading us with her pop and country hits, displayed her crazy belt in an extended Broadway medley that included - no joke - "Some People," "All That Jazz," "Cabaret," "All I Ask of You" and "Don’t Rain on My Parade." She then serenaded us with Andrew Lloyd Weber’s "Pie Jesu" with her self-described and newly found “operatic” voice. She preceded the selection with her wish to someday sing at … wait for it … The Metropolitan Opera!!!! This ridiculous announcement only made me love her more. Marie, I will be first in line to buy tickets for your debut as Mimi at the Met. You'll be fabulous.
Donny’s half was less splashy, but just as entertaining. He crooned his way through several pop hits including an extended version of "Soldier of Love." He then walked us through his forays into musical theatre and his love for Stevie Wonder’s music. Who knew Donny possessed the soul of a black man?
They ended the show with some of their best known duets and lots of playful banter with the audience. What impressed me most was their interaction with the audience. These two were not afraid to meet their public - running out into the aisles, hugging, fist-bumping and calling volunteers up on the stage. Women and men were practically swooning in the aisles worshiping these idols of the 70s.
If there is a God, we will be blessed with this show every Christmas!
PS - Check back soon for my bootleg video clips. I'm still trying to figure out how to download the videos from my new camera. I know it's illegal, but the entire audience was doing it and Marie and Donny were obligingly playing and posing to the many illicit cameras on view. And yes, I would jump off a bridge if everyone else was doing it. So there.
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