NBC star Megan Mullally ventures into new territory on stage

By DAVID JAY LASKY
Staff Writer

"Sweetheart," a new musical starring Megan Mullally of Will and Grace, is a quirky and enjoyable performance. Mullally explores various aspects of relationships using a mixed bag of story songs. She has comical as well as musical talent that is absent from her deadpan line delivery on her NBC show.
Mullally does vocals, Greg Kuehn plays the keyboard, Stuart Mathis plays the guitar and Joseph Berardi plays the drums in this impeccable musical ensemble. The Broadway actress veteran performs songs by classic songwriters to convey happiness, humor and sadness to The Coast Playhouse audience.
There is a great deal of teamwork evident between Mullally and her musical accompaniment. They work well together as if they enjoy creating the new music and entertaining the crowd, a plus in light of the dim, jazz club atmosphere and unsettling lyrics.
Randy Newman, Steven Sondheim, Joni Mitchell and Richard Rodgers provide some of the bittersweet songs for Mullally's performance. However, her best rendition is that of Roy Turk and Lou Handman's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?," the song Elvis Presley immortalized. She delivers the lines of the song with gusto and charm.
Other songs are done in a meaningful way. She performs the song "I Remember" as a woman shackled to the walls of an institution. With the song "Scarlet Ribbons," she is a woman discovering something about her daughter. The show explores the aspects of what it means to have a sweetheart. It is angst-ridden, not sunny or cheerful as one might expect from the title.
The play is somewhat lacking, however. There are snippets of video footage thrown in the middle of the show of Mullally and her entourage running around in the street. Coming out of absolutely nowhere, it makes very little sense in the general theme of the play and is an irritating distraction. The play ends very abruptly, making the audience wonder if it is really over.
Mullally, who was the Outer Critic's Circle nominee for "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying," also directed this combination of wit, art and pop culture. She is a skillful director who does not resort to staginess and the stiff, static-prone atmosphere so prevalent in theater. She throws signs around the stage, moves back and forth on a swing and jumps in front of the audience attached to a rope and a metal hook. The fact that she goes out of her way to do these daring stunts makes this show less typical and more interesting.
It is difficult to recommend such a downer as "Sweetheart." The mood is so underwhelming and raw that one begins to miss the tart-tongued one-liners that have a certain degree of sweetness, but are also missing any sense of romanticism - they are too bitter to be mistaken for valentines.
As interesting as the show is, it is not worth the $25 admission price. It is not innovative or original enough to compensate for the price. Mullally has enough presence to carry the show but the material is basic and not enough to carry her.
Theatrically speaking, "Sweet-heart" is a well-crafted performance. In terms of entertainment and going out with a group of friends, there is a feeling of "is that all there is" present throughout the performance. Her upcoming films are sure to be more exciting and likable, but this is definitely a quiet success in Mullally's blossoming track to all-star status.
"Sweetheart" will be playing until Dec. 4 at The Coast Playhouse, located at 8325 Santa Monica Blvd. Shows are held at 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and at 8 and 10 p.m. Saturdays. Tickets for the 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday shows are $25, and tickets for the Thursday show and 10 p.m. Saturday show are $20. Tickets can be purchased through Tickets L.A. at (323) 655-TKTS. For more information, call (323) 650-8507.

Lasky, David Jay. "Musical is not as 'Sweet' as the title suggests". Daily Trojan Vol. 138, No. 39 Monday, October 25, 1999: pg 7-pg 11.