Don’t Cry; Do “D Word- A Musical”
By Skip Sheffield
“D Word- A Musical,” which has opened at the Rinker Theatre of Kravis Center in West Palm Beach for a run through Nov. 10, is not really a musical, but a musical revue of catchy songs on the themes of being “Ditched, Dumped, Divorced and Dating.”
Orlando’s Jeanie Linders, who created the wildly successful “Menopause: The Musical” franchise, has crafted a similar comic approach to the very real hurt of a marriage breakup. Linders calls it, quite accurately, “a party show.”
Linders and director/choreographer Mayme Paul have cast four women representing distinct types representing women in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.
“D Word” has been honed with previous runs in Orlando and Las Vegas. This experience shows in the precise vocal performances of four solo-quality voices performing in perfect harmony to recorded tracks a set of 14 mostly familiar songs about the flip side of romantic bliss. Unlike “Menopause,” which had parody lyrics to popular songs, the songs have their original lyrics. What is new is biographical information and dialogue from the characters.
The setting is a 6-minute speed-dating event. Erica (Angie McKnight) hasn’t gotten lucky in 14 years. DeeDee (Maddie Castro) is in the dumps after the breakup of her 20-year marriage. Kate (Laura Wright) feels her biological clock ticking. She just wants a “sperm donor.” Jen (Sarah Hester Ross) is trying to rise above the humiliation of losing her fiancé of six years to another guy.
The mood is set with the Gloria Gaynor anthem, “I Will Survive.”
After the one-off original “Single Ladies” we go back to the 1950s doo-wop of Lieber & Stoller’s “Fools Fall in Love” and even farther back to “Just a Gigolo.” Greatest hits such as The Miracles’ “Shop Around,” “The Way of Love” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” (What Doesn’t Kill You) get new renditions as the ladies drink, talk, cry a little, fight a little and reconcile.
Although this is an ensemble, you will probably have a favorite chanteuse. It seems unfair to single anyone out, but DeeDee Castro is the comic sparkplug as “Your Booty Parlor Babe,” who glories in her first date in years with “Hot Stuff” and bounds into the audience with “Before He Cheats.”
Less than a musical; more than a revue, “D Word” is pure fun in 90 minutes without an intermission.
Tickets start at $39. Call 800-572-8471 or go to www.kravis.org.
