Singer/movie actress Judy Garland has been dead almost 40 years, and yet her legend lives on. This is dramatically brought to life by playwright Peter Quilter, who attempts to portray the larger-than-life entertainer in the final months of her life. The Milwaukee Repertory Theater does a terrific job in producing Quilter’s play with music, End of the Rainbow.
The aptly named show refers to one of Judy Garland’s most recognizable roles (as Dorothy in the film, “The Wizard of Oz).” But it also reminds us that all rainbows – however vivid - eventually do end.
The playwright focuses on one of Garland’s many “comeback” concerts in 1968. She is performing in at the Talk of the Town. Although the set eventually morphs into the performance hall, it begins in a sumptuous gold-colored suite at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Garland’s diva-like behavior is in full display from the get-go. She complains that her suite is far smaller than the ones she is used to staying in. “It’s a suite for midgets,” she complains to her fiancé, a music promoter named Mickey Deans. Although Deans tries to de-escalate the situation by explaining that all the hotel’s suites are the same size, he is no match for the wrath of the tempestuous star. She’ll have none of it.
End of the Rainbow offers a fascinating look at Garland, a master manipulator who could get almost anything she wanted. Within moments she could be pouty and malicious, or kittenish and flattering, or venomous, or hilarious. This is Garland without a filter, which means that her crude sex jokes and obscenities fly with abandon. Garland can be a lady when she wants to be, or a desperate addict looking for her next fix.
W hat makes Rainbow such a sad journey is that the lady and the addict are so intertwined that one seemingly cannot exist without the other. These two sides of Garland erupt in a disastrous performance at “Talk of the Town.” Miffed by a small production snafu, Garland loses her concentration and forgets which song she is supposed to be singing. She storms offstage and refuses to return until her manager (and fiancé) does whatever is necessary to get her back onstage. This means a return to the alcohol and pills she has been trying to stay away from.
Observing this horrific situation is Anthony, Garland’s longtime pianist. He winces at the thought of Garland returning to the crutches which have done so much damage to her voice, image and reputation. Thomas J. Cox evokes tremendous sympathy as Anthony, the gay pianist who represents the entirety of Garland’s gay following. Anthony even attempts to “rescue” Garland at one point near the show’s end. His idyllic notion of a country retreat offers Garland a sense of peace but not the adulation she craves as much as the pills and booze. Garland knows she cannot get off the train, even if it’s surely heading toward a cliff. Acting veteran Hollis Resnik does a superb job of reproducing all the facets of Garland’s personality. She doesn’t attempt to look much like Garland, although her costumes and hairstyle seem authentically drawn from the time period. She also limits her number of Garland’s mannerisms. However, she does a nice job of recreating Judy’s unique vibrato, and impresses with an occasional off-key note to signal that Garland is losing her touch.
And yet, Resnik can sell a song with the best of them. Resnik hits her peak with standards such as “Just in Time” and “The Man That Got Away.” She brings to life all the star qualities that long-ago audiences may remember from Garland concerts heard years ago. At least half of the evening consists of Garland’s songs. Of course, the much-awaited “Over the Rainbow” closes the show. Before Resnik ramps up with a really terrific rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” Anthony appears in a spotlight and addresses the audience directly. He notes that Garland did marry Mickey Deans, who became her fifth and final husband before she died a few months later at the age of 47.
End of the Rainbow is more of a cautionary tale than anything else, but it also offers an entertaining evening that pairs side-splitting laughter along with a last, sad look at Judy Garland’s life.
