Pillow is comfortably set on stage

Tag : Pillow Set
Even when the movie came out in 1959, it’s hard to see howany actors besides the wonderfully wholesome Doris Day (who wasnominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress on this one) anddelightfully masculine Rock Hudson (ignorance really was bliss)could have turned this fluff into a comedy classic. Megan Blakeleyas Jan and Michael Gianelli as Brad are just as funny, but with adifferent approach — something like Alice from “TheBrady Bunch” meets Steve Douglas before he had his ThreeSons.

Just as Rock and Doris had fabulous character actors like TonyRandall and Thelma Ritter to help create that perfect touch ofskewered reality, Blakeley and Gianelli have a wonderful supportingcast, including but not limited to Brandon Sharkey in the TonyRandall role and Lizanne Keigley in the Thelma Ritter part.

Director Diedra Celeste Miranda does a good job of keeping up thepace, especially in the fabulous second half of the show.

Although the first act seems to take a little too much time insetting up the situation, and doesn’t give us much of achance to care about Jan the Grump, the second acts really soars.

There is no doubt that the set designed by Jeremy Williams is bothlovely and functional for theater-in-the-round.

Too bad that the hilarious momentum of the second act had to beinterrupted by a five- minute intermission for a scene change.

Producers Brenda and Tim Dietlein have earned the right to call theGlendale Centre Theatre “California’s FamilyTheatre,” and hopefully, they can figure out another way tospeed “Pillow Talk” to its inevitably happy ending.

They’ve given us so many happy endings before. There’sno doubt they’ll do the same for the next show.



 MARY BURKIN of Burbank is an actress, playwright and Glendalelawyer.