Dirty Blonde, Claudia Shear's hit three-person Broadway play, has extended at San Francisco's Theatre in the Square through July 29, but it won't be Shear-ed, so to speak, after June 17, the originally announced closing date. Shear's understudy (and a Helen Hayes winner for 1991's Sweeney Todd), Donna Migliaccio will replace her in the dual role of Jo and Mae West June 19.
Two of the Broadway show's stars, Tom Riis Farrell and Bob Stillman, repeat their duties in San Francisco. Stillman, known for his singing roles in The Last Session and Kiss of the Spider Woman, portrays Joe Frisco, Frank Wallace and others, while Farrell takes the other lead role, that of Charlie, an overweight man who falls for Shear's Jo.
Dirty Blonde involves two single New Yorkers, Jo and Charlie, who meet at Mae West's grave site and goes on to trace the couple's changing relationship while simultaneously tracking West's career. That history is one of controversy and fame as the "dirty blonde" made it to Broadway (Sex, Diamond Lil) and to the movies ("She Done Him Wrong," "I'm No Angel," "My Little Chickadee") but kept her bad girl image.
On Broadway, Dirty Blonde closed at the Helen Hayes Theatre on March 41. After a successful run Off-Broadway, the comedy started previews on April 14, 2000 and opened two weeks later on May 1. The show's run included 20 previews and 352 performances. Dirty Blonde garnered five Tony nominations: Best Play, Best Director, Best Performance by a Leading Actress for Shear and two for Best Performance by a Featured Actor, one of which was for Stillman.
Shear and James Lapine (director) co-conceived the show and shepherded its move to Broadway. The play marked Shear's return to New York Theatre Works, where she triumphed in 1993 with her one woman "tour de résumé" Blown Sideways, a 64-job search for employment. That piece earned her an Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award nomination. Performances of Dirty Blonde began April 11. Tickets are $50-$30. Theatre in the Square is located at 450 Post Street. For reservations, call (415) 433-9500.
