''Mimi le Duck'' is a
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
with book and lyrics by
Diana Hansen-Young
Diana Hansen-Young (born 1947) is an American artist and playwright well known of her works depicting Hawaiian women.
Early life
Born Diana Hansen in Bellingham, Washington in 1947, she was the eldest of 6 children born to Audrey and Wally Hanse ...
and music by
Brian Feinstein. ''Mimi Le Duck'' premiered at the Adirondack Theater Festival in 2004, followed by a run at the
Fringe Festival
Fringe theatre is theatre that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.Kemp, Robert, ''More that is Fre ...
that same year. The musical opened on November 6, 2006
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
at New World Stages. Directed by Tom Caruso, the cast featured
Tom Aldredge
Thomas Ernest Aldredge (February 28, 1928 – July 22, 2011) was an American television, film and stage actor.
He won a Daytime Emmy Award for playing the role of Shakespeare in ''Henry Winkler Meets William Shakespeare'' (1978). His Broadway ...
, Candy Buckley, Robert DuSold, Allen Fitzpatrick,
Annie Golden
Annie Golden (born October 19, 1951) is an American actress and singer. She first came to prominence as the lead singer of the punk band the Shirts from 1975 to 1981 with whom she recorded three albums. She began her acting career as Mother in ...
,
Ken Jennings
Kenneth Wayne Jennings III (born May 23, 1974) is an American game show host, author, and former game show contestant. He is the highest-earning American game show contestant, having won money on five different game shows, including $4,522,70 ...
, Marcus Neville and
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Ba ...
, with musical staging by Matt West. The production closed on December 3, 2006 after 28 previews and 30 regular performances.
The musical had scenic design by
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
-winner John Arnone; costume design by Tony Award-winner
; lighting design by
David Lander
David L. Lander (born David Leonard Landau, June 22, 1947 – December 4, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, musician, and baseball scout. He was best known for his portrayal of Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman in the ABC sitcom '' Laverne & Shir ...
; and sound design by Tony Smolenski IV and Walter Trarbach.
The plot follows Miriam (Golden), a discontented
Mormon
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
housewife from
Ketchum, Idaho
Ketchum is a city in Blaine County, Idaho, located in the central part of the state. The population was 3,555 at the 2020 census, up from 2,689 in 2010. Located in the Wood River Valley, Ketchum is adjacent to Sun Valley and the communities sh ...
, who, in a moment of desperate inspiration (and a visit from the ghost of
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...
), packs her bags and moves to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, leaving behind her husband and her successful career as a painter of duck canvases for
QVC
QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network, and flagship shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping, owned by Qurate Retail Group. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Chester, Penn ...
.
Critical reception
The show received some of the worst reviews of the 2006–07 season. Neil Genzlinger's review in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' was dismissive, focusing on the legendary status of Eartha Kitt, who plays but a minor role, stating that she was "really
heonly one character worth mentioning". The review went on to say that:
" sorted other characters materialize, all laboriously wacky. Diana Hansen-Young, who wrote the book and lyrics (the music is by Brian Feinstein), may be the kind of person whose idea of “outrageous” doesn’t go much further than Milton Berle."
Frank Scheck of the ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' wrote:
"As has become depressingly common lately in musicals, the score by Brian Feinstein (music) and Diana Hansen-Young (book and lyrics) is utterly generic and forgettable, failing to bring any life to the insipid scenario."
Larry Worth of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote: "Accordingly, in the spirit of a show where bad puns and hoary platitudes rule, maybe it is fitting that "Mimi le Duck" brings new meaning to foul play."
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
s was similarly unimpressed stating: "How do you say 'vanity production' in French?"
"Mimi le Duck Review"
'Variety''
References
External links
Off Broadway Play's Website
Off-Broadway Database listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mimi Le Duck
2004 musicals