rmcclanahanfan

Just like the tagline says, Nunsense is habit forming--and very much so! I've never been a fan of theatre, so I admit that it had to grow on me, but once it did there was no going back! After watching this riotous revue, I am completely convinced that Rue McClanahan should have her own stand-up comedy show. The continuous one-liners roll effortlessly, as do the show-stopping song and dance numbers. The entire show is filled with non-stop laughs, but a few select scenes will have you simply rolling with laughter. Literally. The first time I saw Nunsense, I actually fell off the couch because I was laughing so hard (then I couldn't get back up because I couldn't stop laughing). By the way, that was during the "baking with the B.V.M. scene" when Sister Mary Amnesia presents her homemade book stand (you'll know it when you see it). Even though I didn't appreciate it as much the first time I saw it, Nunsense grew on me very quickly--to the point where I bought the box set, and I've now seen it probably 20 times (not to mention that I've memorized the songs. LOL!). I would love to see a live production of this sometime. Nunsense is a guaranteed must-see for any theatre or Rue McClanahan fan (or anyone who wants a good laugh, for that matter). Rue is fabulous as Reverend Mother Superior; I can't imagine that anyone could do it better. She can sing, she can dance, she can act, and she's absolutely hilarious!

What can I say, except that Intimate Portrait: Rue McClanahan is the ultimate must-see for any Rue fan. It truly shows that Rue has so much class, grace, and style both on and off screen. Rue's IP takes an interesting, in-depth look at her personal life, and career. My only complaint is that it neglects to cover her work in film, which, by taking a look at her filmography, you can see that film has played quite a sizeable role in Rue's career (and her start in Hollywood in 1961).

The Golden Girls is hands-down the absolute best television show I have ever watched, and is truly one of the few shows to in television history to ever reach perfection. The four main characters, aging from fifties to eighties, fit together perfectly to create what is arguably television's most dynamic, yet lethal, comedy team. Each character was written remarkably well, and each actress portrayed her character beyond perfection. I maintain that The Golden Girls is the most well-written, consistently funny show in the history of television, as nearly every joke works. That is quite a rarity! It would be my guess that in the series' seven-year run, less than 1% of the jokes fell flat. I also firmly believe that a large portion of the show's success was due to the fact that it was so unexpected, and defied all expectations, and stereotypes of old age. Perhaps the character of Blanche Devereaux (Rue McClanahan) defied viewers' stereotypes of middle- and old age most of all. A saucy, sassy Southern belle, Blanche has a hearty appetite for the company of men. A self-proclaimed slut, Blanche dates a different man (or men) in nearly every episode, and is both the source, and target of many of the show's raciest and most provocative (and sometimes shockingly surprising) jokes, and jabs. It is almost as if the show's writers were trying to push their limits, and see just how far they could go. The extremely racy sexual undertones of The Golden Girls were cleverly written into some of the best, most unpredictable jokes in television history. It seems to me that The Golden Girls pushed more boundaries, and is more provacative than any show on today. As my mom pointed out, "They're dirty old ladies!" My main point: What do you get when you mix a fifty-year-old self-proclaimed slut, a naive Scandanavian nit-wit who acts out the gang plank scene from Peter Pan alone in her bedroom, a tall sixty-year-old substitute teacher with a hilariously masculine voice who can never seem to get a date, and is the target of several cheap shots from her friends, and an over eighty Sicilian immigrant who drinks sherry in the park? Perfection at its best.