It didn't hurt that there was some big time name dropping and bedroom talk, either. Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor (her idol), Clark Gable and Gene Kelly are just a few of the icons referenced in this recounting of the legendary actress' life.

But the piece de resistance is a massive, multi-tiered staircase, with each step colorfully illuminated from underneath. It’s placed center stage and climbs virtually to the ceiling in grand Ziegfeld fashion – bravo!

Any emotional resonance is attributable to the truly remarkable ensemble, with strong, polished performances, plus superb dancing by Alexandria Diaz de Fato.

Stephane Alwyn’s portrayal, both in terms of singing and acting, is a spot on evocation of the style and essence of a debonair leading man of the period.

We’re confronted by the guardians, firemen who are “well disposed to the well disposed.” They act as a comically resolute Greek chorus in turnout gear, intoning “Woe is us. Woe is us.”

In the face of untold atrocities, our only respite is that of the unbreakable: family, dreams, conviction. And... music.

Philemon is so opaque, so self-controlled, that you know as much about him at the end of the play as you did in the beginning. This opacity is a strength as much as a weakness.

"They said you can be an American."

Actor Don Reed presents nine characters – beginning with Alberta – the first roadblock at the “appointments or no appointments” desk.

"Living on in the love he not only inspired but actively cultivated—that is so Mark Rucker." – Catherine Sheehy, Yale School of Drama.