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Oh My Goodness . . . It’s Paul Lynde!
Review by Neal Weaver
Hudson Backstage Theatre
Through Sept. 28
Actor Michael Airington does give us a bit of Lynde’s life history, but only when it’s fuel for laughs. We hear about his attendance at Northwestern University, where his acting class included such notables as Cloris Leachman, Charlotte Rae, and Charlton Heston. He appeared in the WAA MU Show, an all-school musical, and used it to promote his career: hearing that Kaye Ballard was appearing in nearby Chicago, he bearded her at her stage door and invited her to come and see his show. She came, and was enthusiastic about what she saw.
This led to his meeting with Leonard Sillman, who cast him in his production of New Faces of 1952, along with Eartha Kitt, Robert Clary, and Alice Ghostley. Moving to NYC, he shared digs in Hell’s Kitchen with Imogene Coca, Wally Cox and Marlon Brando, and though theater work eluded him, he fared better in TV, with numerous cameos and character roles on The Doris Day Show, and others, leading eventually to Broadway as the disgruntled parent who sang “Kids!” in Bye, Bye Birdie — a number which Airington performs here, assisted by an able 3-man combo.
He was cast in Bewitched, where he feuded with Agnes Morehead, and finally found the role of his life as the Center Square on Hollywood Squares, which, due to his witty bitchiness and congealed malice, lasted 13 years and made him rich.
Airington’s script is largely a pretext for recycling Lynde’s jokes, but they’re mostly good jokes, and Airington delivers them with manic panache. He captures the flavor of Lynde’s persona with considerable skill, with the participation (via recordings) of Peter Marshall, the Master of the Hollywood Squares, and the aforementioned musical combo, which lends a note of opulence rare in one-man-shows.
He also plays up the idea of a character-actor who longs to be a leading man, and decides to provide an opportunity for himself, acting out the final scene from Titanic with an audience member filling in for Kate Winslet. On opening night, that audience member was veteran actress Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond), who gamely went along with the joke.
Aside from an acknowledgement of his homosexuality—“I was always a flaming queen!” — Airington never touches on Lynde’s personal life, or hints at his darker side — and, given the fact that he was a gay alcoholic and a comic, there had to be a darker side. But comedy is Airington’s game, and he delivers a briskly paced, crowd-pleasing show.
Hudson Backstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Sat., 8 p.m., through Sept. 28. (323) 960-7773, Plays4ll.net
Note: On September 10, Stage Raw received notice that this production has closed early.
