1245 p. 32 Benita Zahn-KEA.indd

The Chronicle - July 31, 2008
32
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Benita Zahn, feminism & leather pants
Saw Fort Salem
musical starring
TV 13 anchor
By Kate Austin
Chronicle Arts Writer
Fort Salem Theater’s director Jay
Kerr invited me to come out specifically
for this show: Channel 13 news anchor
Benita Zahn starring in the 1978
feminist musical
I’m Getting My Act
Together and Taking it on the Road.
I’d just outed myself as a feminist in last
week’s Chronicle, so the play promised to
be of interest in more than one regard.
After Mr. Kerr’s witty intro to the play,
the audience settled down for the show…
for a little while, anyway.
Benita Zahn plays Heather, an aging
soap opera star who sets out to perform
an honest and liberated cabaret with her
band and backup singers. Her manager,
Joe Epstein (played by Jesse Liebman),
suffering from marriage issues, is appalled at this rejection of her former self
and labels her newfound feminism “hostile.” Romances rise and fi zzle between
Heather and Joe, as well as between
Heather and band member Jake (played
by the show’s musical director, David
Hancock Turner), by the end of the play.
Ms. Zahn and the rest of the cast,
to their credit, didn’t flinch through
sneezes, my photo-taking or the pointedly enthusiastic hoots and hollers
from several young men — Benita Zahn
groupies, I believe — clinking clandestine bottles to my left. The half-full
house was composed mostly of the elder
generations, couples who tittered at the
play’s fi rst curse words. Those noisy
fellows, however, broke out in full-blown
applause, complete with whoops and
guffaws, when Joe argued that there are
so many gay men because “women are
“America’s Most Unique Theater”
Located over Lock 12 of the Champlain Canal,
Whitehall, NY
Fri. Night Cabarets, 7:30pm, 8/1, 8/8
‘Judi’s Encore’
Sat. Night Performances, 7:30pm, 8/2, 8/9
‘Ireland Forever-2008’
Supported in part by:
Where life is the journey
Washington County Tourism Association
888-203-8622 • washingtoncounty.org
bridgetheater-whitehall.com • Info/Res. 499-2435
Benita Zahn, left, and above, far right, on stage at Fort Salem Theatre in Salem.
Chronicle photos/Kate Austin
getting hostile.”
The play was full of good solid points:
That wrinkles and grey hair are considered dignified and worldly on a man
but ugly on a woman; that couples often
can’t connect honestly because they’re
playing so hard into rigid gender roles;
that a woman wants both freedom and
security.... All were especially revolutionary in 1978, but still relevant today.
However, I think Heather’s character
didn’t know when to stop. The show
ended weakly, as Heather decided she’d
rather be alone and doing her own thing
than compromise herself for any man.
She failed to consider those who hadn’t
stifled her.
I found out later from Mr. Kerr that
the playwright, who I assume poured
her life story into this work, has been
alone since she wrote the show.
My opinion? Yes, be loud, be vibrantly
yourself! BUT realize that when you do
fi nd somebody who accepts you, wrinkles, grey hair and all... you don’t need
to continue to berate that particular guy
for the sins of the entire male race.
For example, there was Jake, the keyboardist in her band (pictured above),
who asked Heather to give him a chance
in a swoonworthy reprise of her wimpy,
obedient puppy-dog song from the old
days, “In a Simple Way I Love You.” (The
noisy fellows found it appealing too,
from the sound of them.) Jake asked if
he was too young for her, but Heather
addressed his proposal with just a smile
and change of subject — pretty lame if
you ask me.
Mr. Kerr told me after the show that
he bought the Fort Salem Theater after
a deal fell through for the purchase of
a store in Danby, Vt. His Realtor suggested buying a theater instead, and Jay
said he’s glad he did, because, “This is
more fun.”
Sunday’s matinee show was already
sold out on Saturday, Mr. Kerr reported.
He says that he’s booking Broadway actors for the Fort Salem season, that this
is a place for them to try their fi rst full
cabaret or a different show. He said he
wants people to know it’s worth the drive
out to Salem.
Mr. Kerr introduced me to Benita
Zahn herself, who was bubbling with
energy after the show. She let on that
the leather pants she wore on stage are
her own, and that this is now the second
time they’ve been on stage together. She
had written on her hand, too, to remind
her of the stops in the show — a regular
Joe, just like the rest of us.
When I asked why she chose to
squeeze a play into her tight schedule,
she said that it rounds her out. She
said besides what she gets out of it, she
loves that she can provide this service
of distraction and entertainment, that
no matter what’s going on in somebody’s
life, for 90 minutes she can take away
their troubles. She also managed to
make a dangerously trite statement
heartfelt with her enthusiasm: She really does believe it’s important to give
back to the community.
Driving home from Salem, I was
treated to a second show, a breathtaking
lightning storm in electric hues surrounding me on all sides, no sound of
thurder, just a symphonic version of “Ave
Maria” on the radio.
Worth the drive, indeed, Mr. Kerr.
Last chance to see Mettawee
Fort Salem Theater: Wiz
Mettawee River Theatre Company’s
summer show Nanabozho will be coming
to The Georgi on the Battenkill lawn in
Shushan on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 8 p.m. After touring New York, Massachusetts and
Vermont, this is be their last local performance before they move on to New York
City and Connecticut! Info: 854-3773.
The Fort Salem Teen Actor Workshop
presents The Wiz, a rock musical based
on L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, on Thursday, July 31, and Friday and Saturday, August 1 and 2. $15,
$10 ages 19 & under. Info: 854-9200.
Advertise!
Call (518) 792-1126
Dance
Background
RETROMUSIC
Catering
Make your party unforgettable
Sally Strasser
518-792-5633
Hubbard Hall: Peter Pan
Hubbard Hall in Cambridge presents
a Children’s Theater Group production of
Peter Pan on Friday to Sunday, August 1,
2, and 3, at 7:30 p.m. Info: 677-2495.