Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now! Off-Broadway Reviews

Readers who may not be entirely polite might wonder which of the three strong singers has the strongest voice. The answer: each of them. All the more reason to catch their non-stop, often uproarious act.

The actresses' tales collide in other clever ways. When Bundy and Butler reenact their childhood glory days as models and pageant queens, an envious Winokur was not as blessed with performance opportunities. (Winokur eventually ended up the only Tony winner among them.) Other mentions of less pleasant incidents from their lives, such as Liza Minnelli making an insensitive comment on Winokur’s body, open a critique of the theatre industry’s fatphobia, but this show feels such topics are meant for another time. At Mama, I’m A Big Girl Now!, we simply bask in the women's glitter.

There isn't much to look at beyond the stars; the barely-there set consists of faux vanities and a screen for vintage pics and silly Photoshops. But the show’s DIY aesthetic is part of its charm. And while the script can be pat, and the medleys messy, the solo numbers prove that all three are more versatile than the molds in which they tend to get cast. Bundy shines as a physical comedian and mimic—her Celine Dion impression could get her booked on Titanique—and Butler’s enchanting version of The Little Mermaid’s “Part of Your World” is a reminder that beyond her quirkiness and powerhouse pipes, she’s quite a moving actor. More than any individual performance, however, the show is notable for the women’s enviable camaraderie in a ruthless business that sometimes put them in competition with each other. You can't stop the BFFs!

I was happy and excited when they returned to the main topic of this joyful cabaret show and sang a rousing, enlivening rendition of Hairspray‘s magnificent ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’. This is what we were all in attendance for, to watch three wildly and wickedly talented women sing their hearts out so we could forget our troubles and be happy, even if it only lasted the ninety minutes we spent with these talented souls at the New World Stages in New York City. Mama I’m a Big Girl Now! is exactly what the musical theatre junkie doctor ordered during these dark and upsetting days after the election, and I was reborn, taken back to the joy I felt every time I heard these ladies sing since 2003.

Individually, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Laura Bell Bundy, and Kerry Butler are amazing triple threats in their own right. Together in Mama I’m a Big Girl Now! they’re all that times three, so don’t miss the opportunity to see this spectacular, exhilarating, and funny reunion and be a part of their ongoing story and contagious joy.