Theater Review: Vanities

Lauren Kennedy, Anneliese van der Pol and Sarah Stiles.

If It’s Not Broken, Don’t Fix It
By Lauren Yarger
Vanities, running Off-Broadway ay Second Stage Theatre is a sweet story that follows the friendship of three friends from high school through adulthood. Perhaps taking some identity from its title and thinking its a little bigger than it is, however, it doesn’t leave well enough alone, as the story gets pushed aside by the adaptation of the play as a musical and we’re left feeling like something has intruded upon what would have been a fun time catching up with friends.

The pop style music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum are predictable, monotone and rather distracting from an interesting book by Jack Heifner (based on his original play) and able direction from Judith Ivey of the three actresses who bring the friends to life.

In 1963, Texas cheerleaders Mary (Lauren Kennedy), Joanne (Sarah Stiles) and Kathy (Anneliese van der Pol) share their hopes and dreams as their high school graduation nears. With the appearance of three nifty wardrobes (Anna Louizos, set design) where the girls make a change into outfits that let us know what decade we’re in (Joseph G. Aulisi, costume design) the scene shifts to a 1968 college dorm room. OCD-driven Mary, who had her heart broken when her boyfriend dumped her, tries to put order in her life by planning everyone else’s. She organizes sorority events and plans the wedding for Joanne and her high school sweetheart, who has waited six years patiently for the wedding night.

The wedding is a relief in more ways than one. Southern belle Joanne only went to college to kill time before getting married – the only occupation she ever considered. Free spirit Mary, however, drops her boyfriends as fast as the next adventure presents itself, and she sets her eyes on Europe after college.

The wardrobes and costumes whisk us to the 1974 Manhattan penthouse terrace where Kathy has invited the out-of-touch friends for a reunion. Things haven’t gone smoothly for the women and the reunion follows suit as truths about the past come out. It’s meaty and genuine stuff, with the give and take of close friendships between women made more real by the spot-on performances by the three actresses, especially Stiles as the gullible, but strong Joanne. The mood just gets interrupted every few minutes by a song or a dance number (Dan Knechtges provides the predictable choreography to work the tunes).

It’s a case of “leave well enough alone.” A reworking would have proven more useful by revise the end of the script and giving details about how Kathy came to be at the penthouse (it isn’t hers and there are hints that she has been through something major, but these questions are left unanswered).

Vanities runs through Aug. 9 at Second Stage, 307 W. 43rd St., NYC. Visit http://www.2st.com/ for tickets.

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• Language
• God’s name taken in vain
• Abortion
• Minor sexual dialogue