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The play is a satire, a eulogy, and, in some ways, an homage.
Did she die of an overdose in a seedy Vegas hotel in 1973?
Did she end up a bag lady in Santa Monica?
the panels host, Herb Forrester (Warner Miller) asks us with more than a touch of sensationalism.
Nottage repeatedly calls for an attention to heightened performance style in her script.
While faces are expressive and movements are sharp and theatrical … it shouldnt be a parody.
Gloria swoons dramatically on a daybed: Tell him Im not here.
The difficulty is that the break lacks definition.
Theres not the same necessity for constant playacting.
She rolls up her sleeves and puts on ashow one thats equal parts funny and disturbing.
Dukess performance tells us all we need to know on that score.
And Dukes is that actor.
Shes wily and fierce and, between the plays acts, undergoes a striking total transformation.
Is she, like any real performer, a creature of ego?
Has she made compromises in her lifelong pursuit of applause?
Has she lost a piece of her soul?
Beyond them, theres a lot of slipping and sliding into schtick, especially by the plays men.
Comedy is hard, and satire is harder.
By the Way, Meet Vera Starkis at the Signature Theatre Company.
