Girls' Weekend! (the musical)

When I first got tickets to see Girls' Weekend! (the musical), I have to say, I was a little put off by the fact that the theatre was so far off Broadway. But, I dug deep to find my humility and began to accept that, while merely "a stepping stone to New York," (as cited by my sister's high school ex-boyfriend who now lives there) Boston could have its own decent theatre.

Did it? Well, let's put it this way. If you expect anything resembling a plot, action or character development, Girls' Weekend! (the musical) is not the show for you. However, if you want to laugh your ass off (and get a shitload of new used clothing), get your tickets now!

The show opened with a long, rain-filled car trip (complete with a real-life folding wheelchair in the backseat), featuring Lois Surgeon as "Mom" and her real-life daughter, one-time New York STAR, Kate Surgeon as "Kate." Mrs. Surgeon gave an exceptionally convincing and specific portrayal of a funny mother with a broken foot -- so much so, that I could actually imagine the pin she had inserted into her hammertoe!

Scene two (called "God It's Early, Let's Just Sit Around for a While" in the program) introduced the show's other daughter "Priscilla," perfectly executed by Boston's own Mrs. Rocket. Her balance of hostessing warmth and eh-you-know-where-everything-is-so-help-yourselves rang really true. But it was in scenes three, four and five that all actresses were given the chance to shine.

Now, if I had to come up with one complaint about this show, it would be this: the scene design of scene three ("Kohl's") looked an awful lot like that of scene four ("Target") and scene five ("The Christmas Tree Shop"). There were some nice flair elements -- like the rack of ugly yellow clearance shirts the girls wheeled their mother into (and then abandoned her to fight her way out of) at Kohl's versus the sixteen four-gallon jugs of pistachios featured prominently in the Chirstmas Tree Shop, but all in all, those "stores" looked an awful lot alike.

Barring my complaints, however, the women built their momentum up to a fever pitch in the last few numbers ("Why Are There No Size Sixes?" and "Mom! That Bra Gives You Six Boobs!" were a nice numerical counterpoint and (coincidentally) two of my personal favorites). The chase scene between the girls and their mother, when she discovered that only one foot had had surgery and that the other was completely capable of pushing her around the store (albeit backwards) was just hilarious -- especially with Mrs. Surgeon's exquisite timing, disappearing behind the sunglasses rack just as the girls appeared in that aisle.

Having all three women in one dressing room was a bit much, perhaps, especially with Ms. Surgeon trying on seventeen different bathing suits and having a hard time deciding which one fit best -- although her emotional plight at not being able to see the mirror through her sister spoke to younger sisters throughout the audience.

After a well-deserved intermission, the show picked up with a number called "EBay Auction," which I think could have stood a little explanation. Apparently -- and this is what I gathered from talking to other theatregoers afterwards -- this family periodically brings all their old clothes to each others' houses and "auctions" it off to other members of the family. It's a complex ritual, but Ms. Surgeon's turn as the auctioneer was outrageous! With lyrics like "No one wants a suit/ That looks like banana puke!" and "Did you say you liked it? No? Well it's yours anyway," she really brought the house down.

The dinner scene was rowdy, chaotic and delicious looking. Mrs. Rocket and Ms. Surgeon actually whipped up roast beef, salad, garlic-mint potatoes and warm bread on stage to the oohs and ahhs of the other attendant women, friends and cousins of the starring trio.

Act two scene three was a welcome change of pace, although the duet between Mrs. Rocket and Mrs. Surgeon ("Hangover/Fat Ass Medley") was particuarly stirring. Mrs. Surgeon's "How could I eat all that/ My butt is wicked fat" contrasted achingly with Mrs. Rocket's "Too much Seven and Gingie/ Makes my tummy twingey"

I got the sense that scene four was supposed to involved a sightseeing plan, but instead just ended up being a welcome homage to A Couple of White Chicks Sitting Around Talking. Mrs. Rocket's "I'm Not Having Kids (And You Can't Make Me)" wove itself beautifully with Ms. Surgeon's "I Have No Career, But Could You Please Make Me?" The clincher, though, was Mrs. Surgeon's "Do You Have A Garbage Bag? I Need It For the Shower." Not a dry eye in the house!

The ending beautifully paralleled the opening (with less rain and more traffic) and I was truly sad to see it go. What outstanding performances! What outrageous hijinks! I would highly recommend seeing anything these three women put their minds to!

[Except maybe a musical entitled "Three Rocket Surgeons in a Dressing Room." That one I'd skip.]