Dirty Blonde Duke of York's, London WC2
'This is the story of the debutante who went out one night in 1910 and never went back in again.' A dumpy girl from Brooklyn, Mae West, miraculously restyled herself as the goddess of sex. And what a life she led. She wrote and produced her own plays, including Sex, in 1926 (which got her 10 days in jail). She had a fantastic appetite for soldiers, sailors and boxers, but her best friends were drag queens.
Last seen at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Dirty Blonde was devised by the actress, Claudia Shear. She was determined to avoid a full-scale biopic, so interweaves the story of West's life with a contemporary love story between Frank, a film academic (and cross-dresser), and Jo, a fortysomething actress.
The modern subplot works far less well (imagine Neil Simon meets Will and Grace), although a hilarious rave scene where Jo bounces around the room in full West garb, as surrounding clubbers don't bat an eye, is a true delight.
The play is best when it is at its most theatrical. We can't get enough of West's dry wit: Woman: 'Do you believe in love at first sight?' West: I don't know, but it saves an awful lot of time.'
And the moment where Shearer transforms from 'plump flapper' to vamp is a magic piece of stagecraft. A brave - even foolhardy - transfer in a volatile West End, but you come out desperate to see all Mae West's films again. Forget Madonna - this is the true reinvention tour.
