Backwards in High Heels
By Stan Jenson
A journalist once proclaimed Ginger Rogers as the greatest dancer in Hollywood because “she did everything Fred Astaire did, except backwards in high heels.”
Christopher McGovern and Lynnette Barkley embraced this assessment for the title of their onstage Rogers biopic “Backwards in High Heels.” In 2009, the show opened in Florida to rave reviews, sold-out houses and numerous extensions. It was filled with the music of George Gershwin and Jerome Kern, including hits such as “Fascinatin’ Rhythm,” “Embraceable You,” “A Fine Romance” and “I Got Rhythm.” It also offered plenty of history about Hollywood luminaries whose names have been recognized for decades. The audiences lapped it up!
Two local theater companies hope lightning will strike twice, as each plans to present the West Coast premiere of the show. Fullerton Civic Light Opera (FCLO) and Long Beach’s International City Theatre (ICT) are both staging the show this month, though their interpretations are wildly different.
The show begins with Rogers at age 15, trying to convince her mother that she can succeed in show business, although her mother had tried and failed. The mother argues that unless she makes it to the very top, she’ll starve. Despite her mother’s objections, Rogers enters a Vaudeville dance contest and wins, gaining national recognition and, eventually, a movie contract. She is paired with another contract player, Astaire, and onscreen magic occurs.
The play cleverly conveys the love-hate relationship between Rogers and her strong, independent mother, Lela, who always was nearby in the shadows. It also charts her four marriages and her social interactions with such Hollywood notables as Ethel Merman, Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis and Marlene Dietrich.
In real-life, Rogers proved she was more than just a dancing blonde. She was one of the industry’s first women to demand equal pay — although Rogers’ name was above the title, male character actors were being paid more. She also was determined to get recognition as an actress outside of musicals. In 1941, at age 29, she wanted to play the title prostitute in the movie Kitty Foyle, a role to which her mother responded, “You’re a song-and-dance girl. Why would you throw that away by playing a whore?” Rogers’ decision to do the film won her an Oscar for Best Actress.
In the Florida production of “Backwards in High Heels,” three men and three women played all the characters, with everyone doubling except Rogers and her mother. The scenes took place on one set. During a party scene, one actress played Merman, Hepburn and Davis, which required each of her characters to exit the party before the next one could enter. ICT is retaining this format, with director Caryn Desai claiming it is a character-driven piece best served by focusing on the principals.
FCLO’s producers, Jan and Griff Duncan, have changed the show to fit their larger theater by adding full-stage scenery designed by Dwight Richard Odle; a singing and dancing chorus; period costumes by Vela Hoyt-Heydon, and an expanded score to accommodate a full-pit orchestra. The Duncans say they remember the lavishness of films from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and they feel the film scenes can best be recaptured with the familiar sight of a stage full of tap dancers.
No matter which theater claims the prize for the show’s West Coast debut, the ultimate winners are theatergoers, who get a chance to compare the two approaches to the material. McGovern and Barkley also will be in the Southland, closely monitoring audiences’ reactions to the different styles. These will be the first productions that weren’t under the writers’ direction, and they are certain to learn much by seeing how other artists interpret their work.
“Backwards in High Heels” plays at FLCO’s Plummer Auditorium, located at 201 E. Chapman Ave. in Fullerton, from Feb. 12-28. Tickets cost $27 - $55 and are available at (714) 879-1732 or www.fclo.com.
The ICT production plays at the Center Theatre of the Long Beach Performing Arts Center (behind Terrace Theatre), located at 330 E. Seaside Way, from Feb. 23 – March 21. Tickets cost $32 - $45 and are available at (562) 436-4610 or www.ticketmaster.com.
THE BARS
The legendary watering hole Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand on the second floor of the Waikiki Grand Hotel has an open-air front and faces a large park. You’ll get a sincere “island” feeling while you are there. The bar is open during the day, with free Internet to check e-mails and a casual group with whom to share a drink. It is packed every night, with a cover charge.
A few blocks away, Angles is a bit more of a neighborhood bar, featuring free Internet and a balcony with a view of the busy sidewalk. On Sundays, it sponsors an all-gay catamaran sailing, which is not to be missed.
Behind Angles is Tapa’s, a bistro. It is so small, in fact, that you feel like you’re visiting someone’s home.
Late nights, everyone heads to Fusion, the city’s only gay nightclub, which is next door to Angles. And all of the bars have a mix of gay women and men.
For more carnal satisfaction, Max’s Gym, Velvet Video and Suzie’s offer entertainment with an adult twist.
It’s a good idea to spend a day driving around the Waikiki. Moped rentals, snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, a sunset cruise and luaus have all earned their places as tourist must-dos, but the best part of a Waikiki vacation is just walking down the busy sidewalks with lots of gorgeous tourists from all over the world.