by Dwayne Steward
Newark Advocate

I must say I was pleasantly surprised after dragging my baby-booming, starch-conservative mother out to "Girls Night: The Musical" last night.

Though lacking slightly in artistic value, it was in this error that it showed strength, unapologetically plowing through any sort of "rightness" while capitalizing on the "myth" of girl-power beyond a certain age.  It even sent my Pentecostal mother on a laughing spree after introducing a well-endowed inflatable man into a dance number - a feat that definitely deserves some recognition.

Louise Roche's British phenomenon, still on its climb in the States, took the packed Southern Theatre audience by storm as it followed Liza (Sonya Carter), Anita (Justine Hall), Carol (Renee Colvert) and Kate (Whitney Kathleen Vigil) on a "typical" girls night out on the town.  The musical borrowed classic 80's hits (and dance moves) as the story navigated through the girls' storyline.

Sharon (Crystal Kellogg), a childhood friend killed in a motorcycle accident 20 years earlier, narrated the clique's sometimes jaded past, clad in an all-white Madonna / Michael influenced ensemble, complete with the rhinestoned mini jacket, pump tennis shoes and tight straight-legged pants.  A pair of glittered wings completed the outfit.

Though the draw for the packed house, the 80's aura wasn't what drove the play towards success, it was the overwhelming authenticity of the characters.

Most notable were Vigil and Colvert, whose chemistry - as the conflicting, yet loving, sisters Kate and Carol, respectively - stole the show.  The plot negotiated between the comedic and the dramatic, though jarring at times (transitioning from Carol's tear-jerking marital tragedy to the pop tune "I'm Every Woman"), keeping the plot on a steady incline.

Each woman had their time to shine, with Kellogg employing the perfect comedic shtick needed to pull off the sassy, mischevious and ultimately misguided Sharon.  Hall's portayal of the sometimes unstable Anita was a true embodiment of a woman on the brink.  She also took the award for best vocal of the night, her power ballads eliciting overwhelming reactions from the audience.  And Carter definitely looked comfortable in the skin of ever-pleasing Liza, proving why she was brought back for the show's second tour.

Complete with a decked out club scene, dripping in pink fur and a disco ball as its set, the cast broke that fourth wall at times to engage the crowd in the atmosphere.  A few scenes were accompanied by a large number of patrons standing, clapping and dancing in the aisles.

Taking its cue frm the comedic stylings of "Desperate Housewives" and "Sex in the City," "Girls Night: The Musical" simply offers good music and a good time, with a no-holds-barred look at women in their 40's.  And if it can get mom to laugh at a few raunchy jokes that would make even Will Ferrell squirm (lest we forget the blow up doll), then its got to be doing something right.

"Girls Night" continues through Sunday.  For tickets, hit up TicketMaster or visit www.capa.com/columbus.  Go ahead; take a few friends out to the Southern this weekend.  I promise there are Easton showings of "Sex in the City: The Movie" well past the show's 9:45 curtain call. 

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