Jackie Hoffman

Is it possible to co-star in a Tony-winning Broadway musical and still be miserable?

If you're Jackie Hoffman it is. Such is the premise of Hoffman's new one-woman show, The Kvetching Continues, which I caught this past Monday night at the Public Theater's Joe's Pub. The often-hysterical, sometimes shocking one-hour act, directed by Michael Schiralli with musical direction by Dave Brunetti, is a mix of stand-up comedy with a handful of songs thrown into the mix.

Hoffman, whose previous acts have lamented her lack of job opportunities and sex life, has had to reconceive her routine now that she is part of the cast of the colossal hit Hairspray and boasts a steady boyfriend. But fear not. Hoffman still has plenty to kvetch about. The basis of her act revolves around the fact that although she is part of Hairspray, she is only onstage for a mere three minutes. In fact, her opening number — featuring music by Lon Hoyt and lyrics by Hoffman — is titled "Three Minutes on Broadway." Dressed in a Norma Desmond-esque turban and accompanied by a stuffed dog, Hoffman sends up her image as Broadway star and later reveals the glamour of "the Broadway": a backstage toilet that doesn't flush, current tourist audiences who don't comprehend the irony of the show, producers who no longer allow her to understudy one of the roles ("okay, so I added a few ad libs"); and the monotony of saying the same lines over and over and over again eight times a week.

Particularly hilarious among Hoffman's stand-up bits: her mother's constant fears that she is going to be let go from Hairspray — "Does everyone get Monday off?" "Have they let you sign your new contract?"; the various press events she has endured, including an evening at a Jewish community center where one elderly woman implored, "Do a line from Hairspray. I haven't seen it yet!"; all the ad-libs she hasn't been allowed to say on "the Broadway" (you'll have to see the show for these unprintables); and her descriptions of the various Broadway fundraisers, including Broadway Bares and Broadway Barks.

Two warnings: If you write about Hoffman, don't call her rubber-faced. And, if you see her show, make sure your cell phone is off. It's the first time I ever felt sorry for an audience member whose cell phone rang during the show — oy vey, the kvetching that followed!

(The Kvetching Continues plays Feb. 2 (sold out) and 9 (sold out) and March 1 and 15 at 9:30 PM and March 8 and 29 at 7:30 PM. Joe's Pub is located at 425 Lafayette Street, between East 4th Street and Astor Place. Tickets are available at the Public Theater's box office or by calling 212 539-8778.)

EVITA

Last week's announcement — by Playbill On-Line London correspondent James Inverne — that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh are planning a 2005 revival of Webber and Tim Rice's Evita has surely excited fans — including this one — of the late-seventies musical.

The original Hal Prince staging, which debuted in the West End and then on Broadway, was simply brilliant. I was 11 at the time, but I can still remember the excitement of the Act I finale, both the sheer belting power of star Patti LuPone and the chorus who marched forward with lit torches proclaiming the arrival of "A New Argentina." However, as innovative as the staging was at the time, the show now needs reconceiving. I've seen several Evitas in the past decade, and the show cries out for a top-notch director to put a new stamp on the musical.

The casting of Eva, of course, will also be critical, and one wonders whether as much of a media frenzy will surround the revival as it did the original, which produced two bona fide stage stars, Elaine Paige (in London) and the aforementioned LuPone. Since the announcement I've been ruminating over possible Evas, and it's a difficult decision — the role requires a terrific singer (capable of belting high Es and even a few Fs), an actress who can span the range of emotions and one who can dance her way through "Buenos Aires." Those who I would have suggested a few years ago — Alice Ripley, Carolee Carmello, Ruthie Henshall — may (or may not?) now beyond the appropriate age. Eva Peron died when she was 33, and the show requires the actress to portray her as a teenager through her death. Of course, I still wouldn't mind hearing Ripley belt the score to the rafters; her thrilling "Rainbow High" still lingers in my memory.

Of the younger generation, I've been most impressed with the voices of Dance of the Vampires' Mandy Gonzalez and Wicked's Eden Espinosa. Both boast incredibly impressive belts and could surely handle the score excitingly. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about a new Evita, so if you have the chance, e-mail me your ideas.

 Continued...