lovesclassics

This had to be one of the funniest episodes ever written for Diagnosis Murder. Rachel York as Randy Wolfe brought great comic timing and chemistry to the show. Her quirky but lovable pain in the butt really got under Steve's skin! I understand this was a pilot for a spin-off series. I really wish it had materialized. I could just see her taking on different characters to solve murder cases - like a younger, hipper, sexier Jessica Fletcher. I suspect the plan for the show was to move from city to city, maybe even country to country, so that Randy could have ended up interfering with but ultimately solving murder cases in exotic locales. I'll bet they would have had her clash with handsome detectives in every police department she encountered. I hope someday soon Rachel does land a TV series. She deserves to be the star in her own show.

lc

This episode gripped me more than others I've seen because it seemed to get more personal. I really engaged with the family that was at the center of the storyline. The mother (played by guest star Rachel York) and the younger son were especially sympathetic. I also thought that the math came across as less academic in this episode. It hit on themes that are familiar to everyone. The show seems to be moving in a direction that reveals more of the human side of its regular characters. Don, in particular, really connected with the family, especially the mother. He seemed to want to catch the freeway attacker not just because it's his job but also to put the mother and her two sons at ease.

This video of the stage production of "Victor/Victoria" preserves what is likely to be the last Broadway performance of a living legend of the musical theater - Julie Andrews. Complications from vocal chord surgery performed not long after Dame Andrews left this production damaged her singing voice, probably permanently. The opportunity to see her in this historic Broadway performance should therefore not be missed by any of her fans.

The show isn't perfect. It gets off to a bit of a slow start with a moody opening number, "Paris By Night," then it takes a while for the story to unfold. There is a bit more exposition than is necessary, and the show really doesn't get into full swing until Julie and company's notable "Le Jazz Hot." From that point on, however, "Victor/Victoria" accelerates, and the laughs come quickly and often.

The energy boost is thanks in large part to the comic genius of Drama Desk Award Winner Rachel York as the dizzy blond gangster moll, Norma Cassidy. She takes the Oscar-winning role created in the 1982 movie version by Lesley Ann Warren and makes it her own. She finds the vulnerable core underneath the crass exterior and turns Norma into a lovable lunatic. Her timing is perfection, and the unexpected little twists in her delivery and physicality delight at every turn. She almost steals the show, but not quite. What she does accomplish, however, is to give Ms. Andrews a venerable foil. When the two of them are onstage together, the chemistry is electric. They have a tango toward the end of the first act that is one of the funniest pieces of choreography ever staged.

All the dance numbers are stellar, in fact. Credit goes to Rob Marshall, who has now become famous for his direction of the Academy Award winning movie adaptation of "Chicago." Every bit of choreography sizzles as the audience watches and wonders just which dancers are men and which are women.

While Michael Nouri as Victor/Victoria's love interest, King Marchan, may be considered the weak link in this cast (he just doesn't have the befuddled charisma that James Garner had in the movie), he sings and acts well enough to carry his share of the load. Tony Roberts is wonderfully droll as Victor's gay mentor, Toddy, and Greg Jbara is quite likeable as King's bodyguard, Squash. He offers up more than one surprise during the course of the evening.

By the time the last laugh is had, the audience is on its feet cheering for a landmark performance by one of the musical theater's all time greats. This reviewer has to agree with Ms. Andrews' own comments about Victor/Victoria. The entire show, and in particular cast member Rachel York, were egregiously overlooked by the Tony's.