I remember seeing Judy Garland, when I was a child, on her television specials, and how deeply she resonated with me. Something perhaps about the clarity, the genuine frailty and emotion that came through, when she sang. This was, of course, long before I knew I was gay, and different from other boys. I don’t know if somehow, on some level, I felt she was singing to me, or for me, or looking back, my experience was similar to Vincent Minelli’s, or Sid Lufts, all things considered. I can tell you though, that I’d forgotten how intense my emotional connection was, until I saw last night’s production of A Very Judy Christmas, written and directed by B.J. Cleveland. When a gentleman in the front row stood to applaud after Judy sang a cross duet of “Get Happy”, I was not at all surprised.
Inspired by the celebrity specials of the 50’s and 60’s, A Very Judy Christmas is set in what’s supposed to be Judy Garland’s (Janelle Lutz) “Hollywood Home”, with a bar, sofa, fireplace, and a small orchestra hidden in the adjoining room. One by one, her teenage daughter Liza, and boyfriend Tracy, and glamorous guests appear. Marilyn Monroe, Ethel Merman, Pearl Bailey, Frank Sinatra and Mel Torme’, come rapping at the door, take off their coats, and perform traditional and recent Christmas carols: “Santa Baby”,“Jingle Bells”,“Marshmallow World”, “I’ll be Home for Christmas”…..It was all very posh and sophisticated for the time, casual attitudes towards drinking, creating the illusion and spontaneity of an actual Christmas party, the frank banter and smalltalk.
B. J. Cleveland skillfully mixes a blend of nostalgia, warmth, in-jokes and irony to create a powerful, evocative experience, carefully searching for just the right tone. Garland’s struggle with alcohol and pills is referenced more than once, painstakingly avoiding disingenuousness. Something about Lutz’s demeanor invites us to laugh with Garland, rather than feeling pity or sadness. Cleveland winks at us more than once, when Garland slyly signals to her devoted LGBTQ fanbase. Or perhaps he’s merely aiming for the folks to be found at a Garland “tribute”. It’s understandable that Cleveland should make use of barely concealed subtext: the substance abuse, the obsessed gay fans, the failed marriages to bisexual husbands. In a legitimate way, Judy Garland belongs to us (though not exclusively) so we have an appreciation for her backstory. That being said, I thought maybe Judy Christmas was ringing those bells a little too often.
I qualified the word “tribute” because it would be an injustice to reduce Janelle Lutz’s turn as the raw, classy, earnest, poised and sometimes a bit bawdy, Judy Garland. Ms. Lutz does not only play Judy Garland. She would seem to have an intuitive feel for what it must have been to have Garland’s life. What the world expected of her, and what she how she mamaged without forfeiting her dignity and true identity onstage. When you see Theresa Russell play Marilyn Monroe in Insignificance, it isn’t about resemblance. Russell is so focused, you forget you’re watching an actor. This is what Ms. Lutz miraculously achieves in A Very Judy Christmas. It’s almost as if she forgets she’s somebody other than Judy Garland. Whatever your take on this splendid show might be, it has that special quality that so many Christmas productions lack. It feels adult, canny, witty, and in its own skeptical, savvy way, it still knows that magic is real.
Uptown Players presents A Very Judy Christmas, playing December 1st-16th, 2018. 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd. Dallas, Texas 75219. (214) 219-2718. www.uptownplayers.org