ELIZABETH HUGHES SHINES

IN LTN'S RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL

Theater Babe Says:  Go . . . and Enjoy a Budding Talent

The Little Theatre of Norfolk's production of Ruthless! The Musical may have some problems, but it also has talent – a whole lot of which is packed into ten year old Elizabeth Hughes who steals the show.

Ruthless! is a parody of a variety of movies, most obviously The Bad Seed; the plot of Ruthless! is largely a musicalized, comedic version of that camp classic.  With its additional multiple references to Gypsy, Mame, All About Eve and even Gone With the Wind, there's little originality in the plot.  The show begins in the home of Judy and Tina Denmark, where mousy housewife Judy laments that her sole identity is that of being "Tina's Mother." Tina is a talented eight year old who is adept at convincing the adults around her that she is so sweet that she couldn't possibly be ruthless – even after it is revealed that Tina knocked off her classmate so that she could be play the lead in their third grade musical, Pippi in Tahiti.  Sylvia St. Croix appears at the Denmarks' home uninvited and becomes Tina's manager, but manages Judy instead after Tina is sent to reform school for killing off the other child.  Judy transforms into a Tony-award winning diva, and hires a personal assistant, Eve, who like her namesake in the famous film, attempts to steal her mentor's success.  The plot devolves into utter ridiculousness that defies description.

It is extremely difficult to produce excellent parody and while it is a courageous attempt, this production is too self-conscious to be completely successful.  Rather than varying the performances with any degree of subtlety, director Jeremiah Albers permits all of the actors to "ham it up" at all times, with the result that the show repeatedly rings the same note.  The actors portray mere caricatures and because each milks every potentially humorous moment, the pace drags instead of being light, quick and witty in the style of the best parody. 

As Judy, Dorothy Hughes presents a pretty voice and the bond between she and her real-life daughter, Elizabeth, is palpably loving.  The role of Sylvia St. Croix is traditionally cast in drag, and here Matt Cole's performance is commendably consistent; he maintains the female persona throughout when a less talented actor might drift into more masculine mannerisms.  He struggles, however, with keeping his affected "female" voice on pitch when he sings and the result is often unpleasant; because there is no attempt to convince the audience that Sylvia is anything other than a man in drag, it might have been a better choice to permit Mr. Cole to sing in his own range.  Kat Fresh as Myrna Thorne and Jackie Brunberg as Lita Encore both give notable performances, particularly in their respective solos, "Teaching Third Grade," and "I Hate Musicals," where their excellent diction make the most of the amusing lyrics.

Their lyrics, like those in many of the musical numbers, are unfortunately often drowned out by the instrumental accompaniment.  Musical director Shelley Cady wisely chose dual keyboards; she and Jonathan McCormick give very fine performances that are simultaneously supportive of the vocalists and enjoyable in their own right.  The electric bass played by Ed Lawhorn, however, is out of balance and is far too loud; when the bass plays, we can hear little else.  In a show where much of the comedy lies in its lyrics, overpowering the vocals is a real problem.

The set, with its dual use as the Denmark home and Judy's penthouse apartment in New York is serviceable.  But because the orchestra sits upstage, on the same level as the actors, without so much as a scrim to shield them, they inevitably become part of the scene.  Only Ms. Cady appears to recognize this fact, and Mr. McCormick, Mr. Lawhorn and Mr. Fields (percussion) often seem to be extremely bored between songs.  Understandable, given that at this point in the run they've heard the dialogue innumerable times, but it is unquestionably distracting to the audience.

The standout performance in this production belongs to its youngest cast member, Elizabeth Hughes, and the best scenes are those in which she is the focus.  As Tina, Miss Hughes is charmingly bratty.  She is equally convincing as the cloying sycophant, the spoiled child and the sparkling show-off.  This young actor has a remarkable singing voice, reminiscent of Andrea McArdle's debut in Annie, that is shown to advantage in "Born To Entertain," and "To Play This Part," although her best moment may be during the Montage that opens the second act.  The Theater Babe looks forward to seeing Miss Hughes' talent continue to develop in future productions.

Bottom line?  Ruthless! The Musical is a show best enjoyed by those who are extremely familiar with a variety of old movies who can catch all of the many references dropped throughout the show.  LTN's production is not entirely successful, but Miss Hughes' performance alone is worth the price of a ticket.

Performances run thru September 30^th, Friday – Saturday at 8 p.m.

and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

at The David L. Burton Playhouse,

the Little Theatre of Norfolk

801 Claremont Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23507

Tickets are $17 with discounts for students, seniors and military 

Plus an additional $2 fee per order

Reservations can be obtained by calling the box office at (757) 627-8551 or

ordering online at ltnonline.org.

© 2012 Hampton Roads Theater Babe.  All Rights Reserved.