Looped Opens On Broadway: Tallulah Is Back

By Christopher Moore, Broadway Magazine

"She's such a great girl, and a pal, and I hear she's marvelous, so I think it's going to be fun" says Joel Gray on the red carpet before the opening night of Looped starring Valerie Harper as Tallulah Bankhead. Broadway.tv and Broadway Magazine were there on opening night to bring the fun and excitement of another new show.

"I didn't know she did Tallulah Bankhead…then you see those pictures, and it's uncanny," smiles Mario Cantone before the show, referring to Valerie Harper who earned substantial praise for her portrayal of the salty Ms. Bankhead.

It was a successful opening night on all fronts.

Broadway Show: Looped

Ben Brantley of The New York Times raved: "Valerie Harper gives an enjoyably big, blustery performance, nailing every last laugh. She commands the stage handily and reveals precise comic timing."

"Thrilled. Exhilarated. There's just nothing like it. We've been working so hard for three weeks of previews, and you kind of wait for this night," shared director Rob Ruggiero, who has helped craft a three-person comedy into an instant Broadway hit.

"Looped" tells the story of the infamous actress Tallulah Bankhead being called into a sound studio in 1965 to re-record (or "loop") one line of dialogue for what would be her last film -- the dreadful "Die, Die My Darling." Of course, Tallulah Bankhead was notorious for her provocative character, drug and alcohol use, and spicy (but funny) use of language.

Matthew Lombardo's new comedy is peppered with hilarious lines expertly performed by a solid trio of actors. However, it was Valerie Harper as Ms. Bankhead who appropriately commanded the limelight on opening night.

"Unbelievable. She's unbelievable," said Looped co-star Michael Mulhern of Harper's performance.

"It just gets better and better…She's a fierce actor and I love going out there with her every night," offers Brian Hutchison, who's character goes toe-to-toe with Tallulah Bankhead in the production.

"It's just been an honor to work with her. She's been incredible," reflects playwright Matthew Lombardo, who can't say enough kind words about Valerie Harper.

With a catalogue of critics adding increasingly positive reviews of her performance, Ms. Harper's reviews are as grand as the character she is portraying. So, how does the star feel?

"It feels fantastic. I'm absolutely thrilled beyond belief. I love Broadway. It's where I started as a chorus dancer right down the street at the St. James (theater) in a show called Lil' Abner. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I was a Broadway Michael Kidd dancer," Ms. Harper tells Broadway.tv and Broadway Magazine.

"Tallulah is such an enormously huge character in terms of her make-up, her hair, her way of being, her speech–that's how she was in life, so it behoved us to do the real deal," offers the star.

It was truly an opening night that Tallulah Bankhead would've been proud of, as the cast and crew gathered at Sardi's to celebrate…and no doubt drink to their success.

Watch the entire video opening night feature of Broadway's Looped here on Broadway.tv, and see more about the show in the pages of Broadway Magazine. Looped is now playing at the Lyceum Theatre.