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A gritty look at New York's pimp and hooker scene.

Monday Jun 18, 2007.     By Colin Douglas

Theater Feed

Cy Colema's final Broadway score, "The Life," is a harsher, grittier look at New York's pimp and hooker trade than his earlier show, "Sweet Charity." Set against the background of 1970s Midtown Manhattan, Coleman attempts to slide his audiences into the sequined, high-heeled platform shoes of Queen, Sonja, Mary and all the other working girls and their selfish business managers who populate Times Square. The result is an uneven mixture of drama, broad comedy and outstanding musical numbers with a soap opera ending.

While Stephen M. Genovese has capably worked the material, the three-quarter round setting designed by John Zuiker hardly resembles the dirty, littered landscape that was once 42nd Street. At least costumer Theresa Ham's originally designed and thrifted garments—an array of gaudy paisley and patent leather fashions—do a solid job of evoking the era.

Despite some great singing, dancing and acting by the male members of this cast, most notably Anthony Fett as the despicably greedy entrepreneur JoJo, Michael Booth as predator pimp Memphis and Aaron Holland as callous, down-on-his-luck Vietnam veteran Fleetwood, the real stars of this production are the women.

The breathtakingly gorgeous Tawny Newsome is a knockout as Queen, the hooker around whom the plot revolves. Her lovely singing voice and sincere grasp of character haunts the audience even after the final curtain call. Brilliant Bethany Thomas, whose talent deserves the spotlight and dominates this production as Sonja, the hooker with a heart. Unfortunately for Thomas, her character has been delegated the melodramatic ending that somewhat cheapens the musical's final scene. Lovely Jess Godwin does an amazing job in the role of the small-town girl coming to the big city to make it big, and make it big she does.

The music, though tuneful and often moving, is not quite as memorable as some of Coleman's other work. The story too often comes to a halt whenever scenes change, making the musical even choppier, but a chance to see this seldom-produced show fully staged by a competent theatrical company is reason enough to rush to the Theatre Building.

"The Life" runs through July 15 at Theatre Building Chicago. 8:15 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 4 & 8:15 p.m. Saturday; 6 p.m. Sunday.