The whole bizarre, queasy world of child beauty pageants is such an easy target for satire, such an obvious and overdone object of comedy that it’s really quite surprising that “Pageant Play” is so fresh and outright hilarious. A look at two Texas stage-moms and their significant others (which doesn’t really include the children) it traces the grooming and presentation of two little girls (represented by empty party dresses) as they compete on the endless pageant circuit for the gratification of their ambitious mothers and the title of “Supreme Queen”. The key to this success is not really the material, although the script by Matthew Wilkas and Mark Setlock is smartly written, but the passionate, over-the-top comic performances by the four person cast and the confident, well-balanced and beautifully paced direction by Kerry Christianson. It’s not like we’re getting this material for the first time, but rather that the show understands how much we already know about this milieu and uses it as a context for introducing us to these new individuals, their sad lives and very funny story.
When the uber-mama Pinky is beaten (oh, that's right. It's her daughter, Chevrolet, who's beaten) by the new little girl, Puddle, Pinky takes the winner's mom under her wing. She guides Marge to the in-depth professional finishing of Bob and Buddy and their academy for little pageant contenders. Bob and Buddy are as gay as a bucket of rainbows, but neither would be anything but shocked, shocked by the suggestion. Their collaborative skill is in teaching the fine arts of dress, hair styling, smiling, posing and choreographed movement, as well as the more subtle points of warfare waged with howitzer's of fake charm.
Pinky also has to deal with her much more grounded husband, Gunnar, just as Marge must deal with the man of her previous life (it's a long story) the currently imprisoned Buddy. As we learn more about each woman's motivations, we also have a brief encounter with Pinky's Mom and her earlier ambitions for her daughter. The arc of the story leads to the coronation of the new “Supreme Queen” and the resolution for each of the Mom's. That part of the play is the least well-written and the final couple of minutes of the play are the least successful of the entire production, partly because the script is weak and anticlimactic and partly because the direction loses a bit of its dynamic focus. By that time, however, we love this show so much that we can just end it a little earlier in our minds and get on to the enthusiastic applause.
Amanda Lee Williams plays Pinky with a ruthless Southern charm that seems to simultaneously pour you a nice cup of tea while she's silently clawing your eyes out. Her “win no matter what it costs” approach to these contests is an expression of her entire personality, and she is an irresistible force pushing everyone else around the stage. As her success declines we also see the vulnerability and desperation of a woman who can only be validated by trophies and ribbons, even if they're awarded to her surrogate self, to her precious little girl. Marge is driven less by ambition than opportunity, and Sara Coates does a great job of making this woman an immovable object in front of Pinky. I especially liked her total focus in the role, and the strength and clarity of her intentions. Her relationship with Pinky was more that of military allies than friends, but Coates manages to make Marge a better person, one who ultimately knows that human values are greater than financial prizes, and that lets us respect the choices she makes over the course of this story.
Brandon Felker is terrific as Bobby, the “senior partner” in the Beauty Academy and equally strong, if entirely different, as the street-thug Buddy. With Daniel Reaume's Bob, reveling in the beauty and glamour of their invention of pretty little things, the two men are wonderfully successful in creating a nuanced, significant long-term relationship within stereotypical characters, never letting the mannerisms get the laughs, but always the personalities. Reaume does an equally nice job of creating the walking drawl of Pinky's husband, Gunnar. In a late scene of classic farce “door comedy” the two actors rapidly enter and exit as all four characters, neatly delineating each and making the physical joke as funny as the situational one.
I don't think “Pageant Play” is going to bring anyone to new insight into the psychology and sociology of the child pageant phenomena, and who cares? What it will do is move you through a fast-paced, expertly performed entertainment that earns its comedy honestly and has more great laughs than any show I've seen in ages. Kerry Christianson understands this play inside out, and she's assembled some terrific talent to make it all work. This show is a hit, and the cast should get the trophy for “Miss Congeniality” while the director goes home with “Most Likely to Succeed”. Everyone involved can share in the “Supreme Queen,” especially Bobby and Bob.
PICTURED ABOVE: Amanda Lee Williams and Sara Coates
PHOTO BY: R MacStravic
