Review: VANITIES: THE MUSICAL at Players Circle Theater

Have I mentioned how much I love Players Circle Theater? They consistently present entertaining yet thought-provoking shows. Their actors are multi-talented. And their small venue lends itself to the feeling of belonging to an exclusive club.

Their current production is Vanities: The Musical. The songs playing as you take your seat clue you in to what’s to come. Girl groups from the 1960s sing about boyfriend troubles and coming of age in those turbulent times.

We meet three women in November of 1963 and will follow them for 27 years in four vignettes with the aid of overhead photos of significant world events as the years go by. The women are cheerleaders in a small Texas town and more than a little self-congratulatory about their status as high school royalty. The American dream is theirs for the taking.

Their personalities, however, are very different. Kathy, played briskly by Natalie Brouwer, is the ringleader. Notebook in hand, she plans and organizes everything in sight. Wide-eyed Elizabeth D’Aiuto as Joanne is naïve and a bit of a dim bulb. Playing off the others with snark and gusto, Kimberly Suskind as Mary is cynical and as racy as Joanne is virginal.

These gals are so oblivious to anything but themselves that the PA announcement that President Kennedy has been killed doesn’t faze them in the least. Their only concern is that Friday night football won’t be canceled.

Cracks start to appear in the façade in the next section of the play. The threesome are now sorority girls in college. While their sense of superiority remains intact, the connection among them starts to fray. Mary has embraced the beginnings of women’s lib while Joanne’s sole ambition continues to be marriage. Kathy has lost her purpose.

Six years have passed before we see the women again. The closeness is gone. Their paths have diverged with a vengeance. Kathy has unraveled, and Mary and Joanne are at each other’s throats.

Like all good stories, this one comes full circle. In the final section, the women reconcile at a funeral. Friendship triumphs.

It goes without saying that all three actresses have top notch singing ability, and each gets a solo number to show that off. They are a powerful trio as well.

The women play off each other well with D’Aiuto often providing the comic relief against the brashness of Suskind and the poignancy of Brouwer.

This is the regional premiere of this musical. It is based on the 1976 play by Jack Heifner with music and clever lyrics by David Kirshenbaum.

Nobody ever said relationships are easy, but I think we can all agree they’re worth everything it takes to maintain them. Treasure your friends, folks.

Vanities: The Musical runs through June 8. For tickets, call 239.800.3292.