From madcap to madness: ‘Pageant’ and “The Good and the True’

It’s been 20-plus years but I still remember tears of laughter after I spent some 95 minutes giggling at the antics of a half-dozen beauty queen contestants vying to be crowned Miss America in a spoofing winner of an evening of unique musical comedy theater.
Now, at the Davenport Theater, utterly glam in their ball gowns, swim suits, spangles and spike heels — save for one decided underdog’ runt of the litter’— a new crop of glam femmes are vying to be best of show. And, as they show and tell, their gorgeous bodies — even in the briefest swim suits — never reveal that this sextet … are all men!
The questions answered by finalists Miss Great Plains (Nick Cearley), Miss Industrial Northeast (Ric Cory), Miss Texas (Alex Ringler), Miss Deep South (Marty Thomas), Miss West Coast (Seth Tucker) and Miss Bible Belt (Curtis Wiley) — with Luke Cullum and Fred Odgaard subbing in all roles — are decidedly updated, but the hilarity of their performances remains a quick fix for whatever might be currently testing your mind.
The evening’s emcee, one Frankie Cavalier (via fabulous John Bolton) adds to the hilarity leading the selection of “judges” from the audience. It’s their votes that get to choose the nightly winner — while we all join in cheering for our favorite. Among the most memorable “backgrounds” of the contestants was one with “a double major in home eco and cancer research” while another’s achievements were “studying hair styling — and having personally attended the Macy’s Day Parade.” The spoofs flew so fast the above might even have been the self-same contestant via my hasty-in-the-dark notes! (it’s not easy to cry tears of laughter and scribble quotes at the same time!)
My visit to “Pageant” showed the judges had great heart in choosing the winner. Making a return visit to this deliciously comic outing a fine idea in deciding if the “voters” were possibly part of the evening’s deceptions! Go see that wit and ingenuity know no gender, except sometimes, with kudos to Bill Russell and Frank Kelly’s delightful book and lyrics, Albert Evan’s music based on the original concept by Robert Longbotto. Shea Sullivan’s delicious choreography and Matt Lanz’ truly inspired direction.

At “Pageant” — we were all winners! (354 W. 45th St., tickets at (212) 239-6200 or telecharge.com.
‘The Good and the True’ will sear your soul
It’s never too late, especially as we continue to bear current witness to the madness that makes mankind unable to escape those twin evils of prejudice and violence, to realize attention must be paid to finding solutions for those demons that down the ages have continues to rent the fabric of “liberty and justice for all.”
The timing of the current production of “The Good and the True,” originally presented in Prague’s Svandovo Theatre, is a heart-wrenching, brilliantly rendered English language adaptation (by erudite Brian Daniels) of a work of stunning power based on authentic testimonies from Holocaust survivors, compiled by Tomas Hrbeck, Lucie Kolouchova and Daniel Hrbek
The two-person play is exquisitely performed by Isobel Pravda, the grand-daughter of Hana Pravdova, whose memories provided much of the material honed by director Daniel Hrbek in this searing indictment. The actress and director met some years after Hrbeck had met her grandmother, a famed actress and director and had a longing to tell her story. Hana, who died in 2008, would have been so proud and moved by this gripping sharing of her fraught, tragic years and how they resonate to this day.
Equally breath-catching, award-winning actor and director Saul Reichlin plays the role of Milos Dobry, who survived the death march from Auschwitz to study at University where he also played rugby so well he became a member of the national team and later president of the Czech Rugby Union! Throughout his career he continued to lecture on Shoah (the Holocaust) at schools, dying in 2012.
At the D.R. 2 Theater, actors Reichlin and Isobel Pravda share the painful memories of the Holocaust survivors they represent in separate spaces that open from behind celled screens as we meet them to be gripped and haunted by their stories. Even a long-standing ovation was not sufficient kudos to all involved in these tales that prove “lest we forget” are lessons for today’s tragic conflicts; And the ever-present vigil that must be kept to contain the evildoers of this world and generation who believe only in their own supremacy.
A must visit to 103 E.15th St., www.goodandtrueplay.com for tickets.