Looped at Parker Playhouse

Valerie Harper recreates her Tony Award® nominated performance as Tallulah Bankhead in Matthew Lombardo's Looped. Southern, but by no means a belle, Tallulah Bankhead was known for wild partying and convention-defying exploits that surpassed even today's celebrity bad girls. Based on a true story, the play is set in a 1965 sound studio. Ms. Bankhead has been summoned to re-record, or loop, a single muffed line of dialogue from what would be her last film, Die, Die My Darling. It's a simple task, but ultimately takes hours when Bankhead arrives so inebriated she's unable to loop the line properly. What ensues is an uproarious showdown between an uptight film editor and the outrageous legend. Held hostage to Bankhead's antics, her recollections spill out as her talk turns to scandals and rumors that have followed her for years - bedding Gary Cooper and Joan Crawford, her disastrous turn in A Streetcar Named Desire, and more. Sporting a satiny blue gown to match her language, The New York Times says Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award winner Valerie Harper gives a "big, blustery performance, nailing every last laugh with a professionalism that the real Bankhead would surely admire."

Playwright Matthew Lombardo, who also penned High starring Kathleen Turner, captures Bankhead's brilliance and bravado in a piece that plays the diva for superbly for both dramatic and comedic effect.

Authors

• Matthew Lombardo