My thoughts about movies and TV shows I've been watching

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Sunday, April 3, 2011

Totally winning Harvard production of Take Her, She's Mine

Last night saw the totally cute and charming college production of "Take Her, She's Mine," the long-obscure 60s Broadway show by Phoebe and Henry Ephron that, amazingly, I had somehow seen way back then and of which I retain no memory other than the title. Was interested to see the Harvard production in the Adams Pool (a former indoor swimming pool long ago converted into a very crowded small theater) - this show still set in the 60s - a story of a Beverly Hills fam sending daughter off to college with Dad's great trepidations about what will happen to her and with typically sexist thoughts that her sole or primary purpose in college is to find a husband - original version sent her to fictional college modeled on Wellesley but in this adaptation, by the smart student-director Madeleine Bennett (sp?) she's a Radcliffe student. Apparently much else changed in the adaptation as well (which might explain why none seemed familiar to me from long-ago viewing), but they kept the (early) 60s lingo, mores, and attitudes (and soundtrack - which was maybe a few years more contemp than the show, but never mind) as well as the universal themes of family tensions, sexual tensions, and most of all of a year of pretension and maturation as the girl grows up and learns about herself. Production enormously energetic and lots of fun, including terrific scenes of guys getting ready for date night, dancing on New Year's eve, mom back in BevHills flirting with poolboy, funny period dancing and flirting, and special shoutout to the adorable Susanna Wolk, whom we've known forever and who killed as the kid sister who seems somehow wiser than her older sis and who keeps mom and dad (somewhat) sane.

1 comment:

  1. Saw this also -- and, as usual -- agree with the astute Mr. Krieger. Well-written, well-reasoned, and quite accurate. In fact, saw it twice!

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