Ruthless a Cautionary Musical Comedy For Those Considering a Life in Theater at Elision Playhouse

Elision Theatre’s new production of the musical Ruthless isn’t for everyone. For example, if you have an aversion to fun, laughing and general merriment, this isn’t for you. For pretty much everyone else, this show is for you. I had never heard of Ruthless and I went in only knowing the tagline from the theater’s press release “This all-female production spoofs Broadway musicals, like Gypsy and Mame, and movies such as The Bad Seed and All About Eve. It is the story of Tina, a precocious eight-year-old who knows she was born to play Pippi Longstocking in her school play, and will do anything to get the part, including murdering the leading lady!”. How I never heard of this musical which premiered Off-Broadway in 1992 is one of life’s great mysteries. Ruthless is fantastically funny, filled with bitingly clever songs, and featuring six performers whose vocal talents are only surpassed by their comedic instincts. This is the show to take your friends and family to. Theater lovers, if you’re like me and haven’t seen this show, do yourself a favor and don’t miss this opportunity. Old movie fans, if All About Eve holds a place in your heart, don’t miss this opportunity. Fans of laughing, I know you’re out there, do not miss this opportunity! Humans living on earth currently, do not miss this opportunity. Did I miss anyone? if you do not fit into one of the above groups, maybe skip this one, but I bet you’d like anyway.

The book and lyrics for Ruthless are by Joel Paley with music by Marvin Laird. As far as I can discover it’s basically the only show they’ve written. One interesting fact I discovered in my digging, in the original production the role of Tina was played by Laura Bell Bundy, her understudies were Natalie Portman and Britney Spears. Which illustrates one of the hidden joys in this show, trying to catch all of the easter eggs that the show is filled with. Some are obvious, some are deep cuts, and some you spot but are maddeningly just beyond your memories grasp. But don’t worry, you don’t have to be familiar with any old movies or musicals, that’s all just gravy, you can enjoy the show fresh off the bus. The other beautiful thing about Ruthless, 90 minutes, no intermission! It’s fast paced, full of twists, and a tone that works because everyone involved from the performers to the drummer is on the same page. I think the best way to describe the tone is to say, it’s like the best sketch from The Carol Burnett Show that never wears out its welcome.

Leading the cast is Christine Wade as Judy Denmark the happy housewife and mother of Tina the eight year old triple threat. Wade is so perfect in every aspect of the role, in the beginning she is like one of the Stepford Wives but one who hears everything literally and without punctuation. The pace of the show is so fast that you may miss a few of her funniest responses, so keep your ears sharp there are throw away lines that are just golden. Speaking of golden, that would be the term I’d use to describe her vocals as well. Vanessa Gamble plays Sylvia St. Croix, a theatrical agent who saw young Tina perform at an old folks home and wants to represent her. She’s delightfully over the top as a former actress whose moved on to representation, but hasn’t entirely left the urge to perform behind. Then there is Amanda Mai who plays Tina, who’s “ON” 100 % of the time. Mai perfectly balances the difficult task of acting like a child without being annoyingly childish. The cast is rounded out by Isabella Dunseith as Tina’s third grade teacher who’s directing the school play Pippi, Greta Grosch as Tina’s Grandmother, and Deidre Cochran in a duel role as Louise, the girl cast in the lead of Pippi, and Eve and assistant to a big Broadway star in Act II. Each one of them has moments of brilliance, comedic beats that are so perfectly played, some seemingly ad libbed. I cannot praise the cast enough, I have to wonder if Ruthless has ever been as good as it is with this cast.

Ruthless runs through Sunday July 30th at the Elision Playhouse in Crystal Minnesota. Again, I strongly urge you to see this show, you will not regret it. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.elisionproductions.com/ruthless

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