Is it a crime to confess that Lucille Ball is my favorite "Mame"? There is a sincerity, sweetness and heart to her performance that I find more affecting than Roz Russell's ardency or Angela Lansbury's acidity. Lucy's version of Mame is the one I'd most like to dine with: a touch more human and not merely a bangled monument to "joie de vivre." Many have eviscerated her vocal performance, but I find her husky, talk-singing style well-suited to Jerry Herman's lyrical wit and uncomplicated melodies. "We Need a Little Christmas" brought me to real tears, something I had not experienced in many plays of the cast album.
Others have roasted "Mame" for its old-fashioned quality, but that's what makes this handsome, expensive production stand out in the context of its time. It feels like the last gasp of a dying art, an ultra-grand Hollywood studio musical defiantly emerging from the self-serious New Hollywood era. It's also simply *well done*: the choreography is lithe and beautifully executed, and Theadora Van Runkle's costume work positively gleams. Ball gets a few wonderful physical comedy bits, and even roller skates! The two-hour plus runtime flew by. This one deserves a serious reevaluation.
