BOBBI BOLAND, anyone?

[egghumor]

I was lucky enough to see my fair share of infamous Broadway and OB productions, but one I wish I had seen was BOBBI BOLAND. Anyone out there see it during its one week of previews? Or can anyone tell me what the play was (supposed to be) about?

[tazber]

Here's a synopsis from Wikipedia. It looks as bad as legend has it:

Set in 1967 in Crestview, Florida and centers around Bobbi. She runs the charm school and is a theater star. It is a quaint, small town, and is trying to keep at bay the Rock n' Roll which is becoming more and more present. It's where a measure of a man is how much he provides for his family, where sexuality is overlooked, charm school's are still present and the theater is important part of everyone's social life.

Twenty years earlier, Bobbi was Miss Florida, and from that she gained valid beliefs of the way ladies and gentlemen should act towards each other. Sam is her gay haberdasher neighbor and theatre director. Bobbi is married to her high school sweetheart, Roger, who was once a great football player. He currently works at an office and hates it, and would much rather be doing carpentry. He has become a Joe Shmoe, wearing the suit and tie, and doing the job to satisfy his wife's idea of a husband, complete with him climbing the corporate ladder and keeping an elegant and prosperous house.

The play opens with Bobbi and Roger prepping the house because the owner of his company, George McGowan, to entertain the possibility of a promotion for him. Bobbi then has one of her charm school students, Susan, be hostess and Bobbi nags Roger before the bell rings. When it does, they are shocked to see George has not brought his wife, but Kim, a new, leggy young blonde from New York.

The drama heightens because Roger does love his wife, even though he knows he is being pushed around. Bobbi sees Kim as a threat to her marriage, and Kim forms a bond with Susan. By the resolution of the play, Bobbi is alone.
Link

[After Eight]

It was about a woman who gave finishing school type lessons to young girls in a Southern town and her marital problems after her husband falls for a younger woman.

The play was first done off-Broadway. It saw it at the Arclight Theatre, and I loved it. It was funny, charming, quirky, and touching. When I saw it, the play's author appeared as Bobbi Boland. She was wonderful in the part.

Then when it moved to Broadway, it all fell apart. They had made changes, none for the better. The little girl Bobbi taught was changed to an adolescent. It didn't play well. The play's unique charm failed to register at the Cort. The jokes didn't land. Timing was way off. Farrah was badly costumed, and did not seem at ease in the part.

It's a shame that it now has near Moose Murders-like notoriety, for it really is a nice little play.

[egghumor]

Thanks, tazber. Duh, that little entity called Wikipedia slipped my mind... And After Eight, I appreciate your first-hand account of both incarnations. Your story reminds me when I saw the "tryout" version of the show A BROADWAY MUSICAL in uptown Manhattan. The show certainly had its share of problems but the great majority of changes made in rewrites, concepts, casting and direction for Broadway were all to its detriment (obviously).

[jeffrey2]

I saw Bobbi Boland the Saturday matinee before it closed the next day. I thought the show really seemed like an Off Broadway show, not knowing anything about it's origin beforehand. Farrah was sick the day I saw her, and a doctor was called to the theater between performances. I wish the play would have opened for better or worse, because I always believed in Farrah's performances and would have liked to see if it would have improved. The show only had one reason to be on Broadway and that was it had a star. On paper it sounded like a great role for her, an aging beauty queen. Farrah was excellent in Extremities off Broadway in 1983, I was lucky enough to see her 3x in that show and had just been nominated for her 3rd Emmy for her TV work, but she had more known for her Letterman apperances and getting abused by her boyfriend during those last years. Seemed everyone forgot about BB at the end of Farrah's life as she became loved all over again for showing her brave struggle with cancer for the world to see. We said hello to Farrah through our TV's in 1976 and said goodbye to her 33 years later the same way.