Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me (Curran Theater,
SF – May 2006)
SHN/Best
of Broadway
Reviewed by Larry Jakubecz
Okay, the
show is called Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me.
If it starred anyone other than Short... well, it would probably be someone else’s name in the title. Also, it
couldn’t possibly be this much fun. So I’ll tell you right up front: this show is a blast. It’s a hoot-and-a
half. It’s funny, charming, energetic, bouncy (”gimme a C... a bouncy C”) –-did I say funny?? It’s also a musical. Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me is
absolutely one of the most fun times I’ve ever had in a theater while wearing underwear. There, now I’ve said
too much.
If you don’t
remember Short from his SCTV days, you’ll no doubt recall seeing him create
some of his most memorable characters during his early-80’s stint on Saturday
Night Live. There, we met the legendary entertainer Irving Cohen, shady lawyer Nathan Thurm and of course, Ed Grimley,
the triangle-playing hyper-nerd with a turnip hairstyle. Most recently, we’ve gotten a whole lot –-and really,
can it be enough? –-of Short’s weight-challenged celebrity interviewer Jiminy Glick, conducting real, unpredictable
chats with many a startled star. All of these characters and more appear in this 2½ hour show, a tongue-in-both-cheeks celebration
of “Martin Short” by... Martin Short.
Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me is a musical one-man show with a cast of six. The framework is moments of
Short’s life, from birth to afterlife. As things begin with “A Party with Marty” and Short tells us about
his fabulous and care-free life (“I read about the world... I just can’t quite relate to it.”), one of the
players tells him such stories need to reveal the trials and adversities one must eventually overcome, to savor the sweet
victory of success. The problem, he says, is, he hasn’t had any hardships. So, with the show already begun, he decides
to simply make stuff up. We go from his childhood imaginings to early stints on Broadway to the bottom of the barrel (“Fate
caught up with him --he couldn’t handle the drugs”), where, near-comatose in a hospital bed, Short imagines his
death and eulogy. Before Heaven beckons, we’re visited by scathing likenesses of Bob Fosse, Joan Rivers, Katherine Hepburn,
Ellen DeGeneres and someone who looks and sounds an awful lot like the young Judy
Garland. Along the way there are occasional familial interruptions and numerous sly references to pop culture landmarks of
the day.
Standout
moments –-how can one choose? –-include the Hair/Jesus Christ Superstar
hybrid “Step Brother de Jesus,” auditioning for Broadway choreographers, and appearances by “Big Black Lady”
Frieda Mae (Capatia Jenkins) who urges Short to keep things going, before she brings it to a close. But wait for Jiminy Glick’s
turn on the stage: it’s (literally) a showstopper. In search of an actual celebrity to interview, the cast goes out
into the audience and, on this night, pulled political TV host (and fellow SNL alum) Dennis Miller onto the “set”
for a stinging and uproarious one-on-one. His famous acerbic wit couldn’t protect him from Glick’s sharp assault.
As amazing
as he is, we can’t give Short all the credit. Marc Shaiman, composer of the scores to the Addams Family and City Slickers movies, as well as South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut gets major time in the spotlight here, writing the music and
co-writing (with director Scott Whitman) the songs. He is also one of the cast members, bantering with Short while tickling
the ivories, and even sings! No doubt about it, when the show hits Broadway in August, Shaiman’s star will rise to a
new level. The rest of the cast (Brooks Ashmankas, Mary Birdsong and Nicole Parker) display their considerable talent and
crack timing through a myriad of characters.
Martin Short
is a man completely and confidently in tune with his very being. This impossibly-youthful
dude is so energetic and so clearly enjoying himself that you happily place yourself in the palm of his hand. Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me gives the audience a little snark, a little sass, a ton of laughs and even a little
ass! It transcends mere musical theater; it is no less than a perfect night of
entertainment.
