Customer Reviews

Wendy Wassertein's Kiss, Kiss, Dahlings / Terrence McNally's The Last Mile

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This show was broadcast in 1992 for the 20th anniversary of "Great Performances."

Hard to believe, but the DVD contains two plays, each only about 15 minutes long. With this much brevity, it won't surprise you to hear that neither play outstays its welcome.

The first, "Kiss, Kiss, Dahlings," is divided into three short acts. The three actresses (Blythe Danner, Cynthia Nixon and Nancy Marchand) play three generations of stage actresses in three different time periods. This is a love letter to the theater from the late Wendy Wasserstein, and light fare.

The second is about a nervous opera soprano about to make her debut at the Met in "Tosca." Written by Terrence McNally, this is the better piece. It stars the incandescent Bernadette Peters, who is astonishingly vulnerable at times.

Opera fans will get a couple of big laughs from the inside jokes McNally weaves in, but even non-opera folks can enjoy it. A relatively restrained Nathan Lane, a relatively unrestrained Paul Sorvino and a very funny Bill Irwin also register in their roles.

All that said, I'm not sure it's worth buying the DVD for only 30 minutes of drama. Perhaps rent it first and then determine if it's something you'll want to view again and again.