Theater: Second Stage Theatre / 305 West 43rd Street, New York, NY, 10036
Synopsis:
The new musical Vanities, by Jack Heifner and David Kirshenbaum will make its New York premiere at Second Stage Theater, directed by Judith Ivey and starring Lauren Kennedy, Sarah Stiles, and Anneliese van der Pol.
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July 17, 2009: Alert Malcolm Gladwell. There’s some startling news on the sociology front. It appears that cheerleaders, those sparkling “it” girls both worshiped and envied at high schools across America, do not all grow up to live charmed lives in the post-pompom years.
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July 17, 2009: Alert Malcolm Gladwell. There’s some startling news on the sociology front. It appears that cheerleaders, those sparkling “it” girls both worshiped and envied at high schools across America, do not all grow up to live charmed lives in the post-pompom years.
READ THE REVIEW
August 27, 2008: Jack Heifner was an unknown writer unsure of his direction in life when Vanities changed everything. The simple little three-scene story he wrote as an acting exercise for three women in his theatre company -- only his second play -- was workshopped at New York's Playwrights Horizons in 1976 before officially opening two months later at the Chelsea Theater Center's Westside Theatre. But the story of three girlfriends in Texas who go from cheerleaders to sorority sisters to independent women turned into a surprise hit that ran for five years, became one of the longest-running comedies in Off-Broadway history, and spawned a 1981 television film.
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July 16, 2009: Let's hope the long list of associate producers means Second Stage landed a big chunk of enhancement money for "Vanities, a New Musical," because someone needs to be getting something out of this flavorless -- though not sugarless -- bubblegum. There's hardly a single original thought in this string of familiar Southern-fried female-friendship cliches, laced with platitudinous life lessons. And while probably nobody was expecting depth from such ultra-light material, would the occasional campy zinger have been too much to ask? Despite the three talented actresses fleshing out the gal-pal stereotypes, the only surprise here is that the show was ever considered for Broadway.
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April 7, 2010: Oh, they try, these women. They do try. They sing. They dance. They change clothes onstage. They try so hard they make you tired, and you aren't doing much of anything except sitting through this long, dull toothache of an evening.
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September 2, 2009: The musical version of Jack Heifner's 1975 play received an unexpected boost from the zeitgeist this week when the appointment of John McCain's 44-year-old Vice-Presidential candidate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, sucked the breath out of the airwaves. Going from network news to The Pasadena Playhouse may seem like a stretch but Heifner showed just as much interest in exploring Fascinating Womanhood as CNN.
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