Sugar Happens: A One Girl Show

More |

Sugar Happens: A One Girl Show

A-Lee Lulee Productions at the Sidewalk Studio Theatre

Reviewed by Dink O'Neal

May 21, 2010

Photo by John Rutledge

Rachel Bailit exposes not only her past but also a series of engagingly fictitious glimpses into her future, as playwright Sherry Coben capitalizes grandly on the truth and the dreams, divided into four subsections, that compose Bailit's life.

Raised in a traditional Jewish family in Needham, Mass., Bailit was expected to find a good Jewish boy, settle down, and raise a family. But from the opening moments of this production—Bailit reclining on a red satin–covered loveseat, wearing fishnet hose and a black bustier—it's clear "conventional" hardly describes her personality. Under the direction of Phil Ramuno, Bailit masterfully works the audience as she recounts hilarious stories of her childhood and career path. Dramaturgically, Coben touchingly balances the outrageous details surrounding Bailit's parents' divorce with the struggles brought about by the childhood death of Bailit's elder brother. And along the way, Bailit provides an ongoing series of jaw-dropping treatises on her physical attributes, which clearly places this piece in the "adults only" category. Apparently her talent agent once told her, "You have the body of Sharon Stone and the face of Carol Burnett."

But there's a lot more to Bailit than just a drop-dead physique and wacky sense of humor. She forays into the world of broadcast journalism and national politics before making her way west to chase the golden ring of Hollywood success. And this is where Coben and Bailit delve into where the future may take our heroine. We see her having given up the "biz" and reticently settling for the stifling confines of suburbia. Next, there's the whiskey-swilling, chain-smoking lounge singer whose raspy voice and tousled hair occupy the stool at the far end of the bar. Finally, she has it all: the Emmy, the Oscar, the jet-setting lifestyle. But standing alone in her pink-swathed boudoir beautifully lit by designer Maarten Cornelis, Bailit concludes this whirlwind tour of self-revelation, wisely imparting that whatever lies ahead, she's thrilled to be along for the ride.

Presented by A-Lee Lulee Productions at the Sidewalk Studio Theatre, 4150 Riverside Drive, Burbank. May 12–June 20. Wed., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. (800) 838-3006. www.brownpapertickets.com.