One of the more tiresome trends in musical theater these days is the reinvention of '80s movies as stage musicals. (The other tiresome trends are jukebox musicals — which seem to be waning — and musicals that mock musical theater.) I've seen a few of the '80s movie musicals. Xanadu was fun, but a little too self-aware for my taste. Urban Cowboy was, um, kind of watchable, I guess — and I did see Rosie O'Donnell in the audience. Footloose managed to lose whatever depth and heart the movie possessed. Ergo, I'm ready for this trend to play out soon.

I am, however, cautiously optimistic about the upcoming 9 to 5 musical — especially as long as Dolly Parton and Allison Janney stay attached to the project. And I just read about another one that maybe, possibly could be good. A musical version of Mask, the 1985 Cher and Eric Stolz movie about Rocky Dennis, a teenager with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, will open at the Pasadena Playhouse on March 21.

Although Cher won an Oscar for Moonstruck, I believe that Rusty Dennis, in Mask, was her best role. She was this incredibly flawed, drug-abusing, loving, devoted mom. Who was incredibly hot.

You can get a pretty good sense of her in this extended music video filled with scenes from the movie. … continue reading