There are certain performances that I have seen on Broadway that will remain seared in my memory forever....BD Wong in M BUTTERFLY, Linda Lavin in BROADWAY BOUND, Glenn Close in SUNSET BOULEVARD, Elizabeth Franz in DEATH OF A SALESMAN, Harvey Fierstein in HAIRSPRAY, Reba McIntire in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, Hugh Jackman in THE BOY FROM OZ, and Phylicia Rashad in A RAISIN IN THE SUN, just to name a few....Tonight I can add a new name to that list and honestly, this name might shoot straight to the very top! British actress Tracie Bennett in END OF THE RAINBOW. Her stunning portrayal of Judy Garland in the last months of her life is quite truly one of the greatest performances that I have ever witnessed. This is no impersonation going on at the Belasco Theatre....this is a powerhouse performance that left me absolutely breathless and deeply moved. After the thunderous curtain call, I sat down for one short moment and simply took in everything that had passed in that space the past two hours. To have seen a performance of this calibre in a movie or on television is one thing, but to sit in Row B in a Broadway house and be so close to this kind of genius is life changing. Watching someone who is this good at their craft makes you want to lift everything in your life to a new level. In Act Two, Ms Bennett performs COME RAIN OR COME SHINE as Judy performing under duress and under the influence of several pills. This moment alone assured me that I was witnessing a performance that years from now people will boast proudly that they had the good fortune to see. The play takes place at The Ritz Hotel in London in 1968. Judy is broke and about to marry a much younger man, Mickey Deans. She is in London to perform a series of Concerts at The Talk of The Town and she is joined by her pianist and music director, Anthony. The action moves between the hotel suite and the stage of her Concert. Michael Cumpsty is wonderful as Anthony and Tom Pelphrey is appropriately slimy as Mickey. When Judy takes the Concert Stage, a 6 piece band performs on stage with her. As incredible as Ms Bennett is in the dramatic scenes, she is absolutely riveting in the musical sequences. She has every movement and nuance of Judy in her later years down pat. The couple behind me were saying at Intermission that they saw Judy sing in NYC around this same time and they confirmed that Ms Bennett was inhabiting the soul of Judy Garland, not doing a drag queen impersonation. This is a fearless balls to the walls performance. There is nothing held back. I do not know how this woman does this 8 times a week. The energy, the vocal choices, and the pain seem too draining to possibly get thru every night and twice in 1 day 2 times a week. Now, I will say that the play itself is problematic. And in a lesser actress' hands, the flaws would probably be much more evident. But with Tracie Bennett playing Judy, you simply ignore a few rocky moments in the text and revel in this historic performance. The Show ends with Anthony announcing that Judy Garland died at the age of 47. It's as if the audience forgot that detail because there were gasps hearing the age. The same age that Whitney Houston just died at. After this spoken wrap-up of Judy's life, the final moment is Ms Bennett singing OVER THE RAINBOW and as she sings "Why oh why can't I", the spotlight slowly fades on the face of a crumbled legend who realizes that she is completely lost and utterly broken. Upon the last flicker of that light, a voice from the middle of the house yelled BRAVO and by the time the lights came back up to begin the Curtain Calls, we were already on our feet waiting to thank this exceptional woman for her extraordinary gift to all of us. As she came out to an already standing crowd, I was close enough to see the tears well up in her eyes as several yelled BRAVA. I don't recall any single performance that I've ever seen leaving me weak in the knees, but Tracie Bennett knocked the wind out of me. I know that I am gushing and probably incredibly repetitive, but tonight's experience is why I come to New York several times a year. Greatness changes you and tonight I was humbled, inspired and I hit 45th St determined to be all I can be using what little I've got to give. Thank you, Tracie Bennett.
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