RESTING HER FANNY
Naughty Anderson takes a breather.
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Book,
music and lyrics by Ed Dixon. Dir. James Brennan. With Nancy
Anderson, Patti Allison. York Theatre Company at Saint Peter’s
Church (see Off Broadway).
Fanny Hill’s tale possesses
the eternal allure of innocence debauched—and then empowered
(kinda). Based on John Cleland’s infamous 1749 erotic
novel, Ed Dixon’s musical remains remarkably, um, faithful.
The pliable young heroine (Anderson), impoverished and orphaned,
travels to London to seek her fortune, only to fall into the
clutches of a conniving madam (Allison). A series of sexual
adventures ensues, of which true love proves ultimately the
most satisfying, if not the most profitable.
Rattling along at breakneck
speed, the plot moves as quickly as the cute but low-budget
set, from Fanny’s abbreviated bucolic childhood to a
climactic and elaborately choreographed orgy, which includes—among
other ingredients—a priest, a member of Parliament and
a shepherd’s crook. Juxtaposing ornate 18th-century diction,
decorum and musical flourishes with a gleeful exposé of
humanity’s baser drives, the musical sometimes sacrifices
character to expedience, so that even lovely ballads lose some
conviction. But the wordplay is clever, the harmonies charming,
the story’s development fast and funny, and many of the
performances are excellent.
As the blowsy, ball-busting
brothel keeper, Allison plays her role to the hilt, reveling
in the fact that while some part of her anatomy may be made
of gold, it’s not her heart. And, clad in a Dolly Parton
wig and a trousseau’s worth of period undergarments,
Anderson transcends the limitations of her butt-of-the-dirty-joke
stereotype. As Fanny evolves from ingenue to ardent carnal
entrepreneur, the tart-tongued Lancashire lassie really does
seduce the audience completely.
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