Arts & Entertainment
Judy in disguise
New York production explores Garland’s wobbly London shows
‘End of the Rainbow’
Belasco Theatre
111 West 44th Street
New York
$31.50-$121.50
212-239-6200
From left, Michael Cumpsty, Tracie Bennett and Tom Pelphrey in ‘End of the Rainbow.’ (Photo by Carol Rosegg; courtesy O and M Co.)
The Judy Garland of “End of the Rainbow” (now on Broadway) isn’t the triumphant Judy who reclaimed her starry diadem after the astonishing comeback concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1961. This Judy is seven years older, further down on her luck and shakier than ever. And while playwright Peter Quilter’s close-up look at the disintegration of a great talent is compelling, it’s Tracie Bennett as Judy who takes the show to an entirely different level. Her spookily spot-on channeling of the troubled superstar is phenomenal.
Set in a suite in London’s Ritz Hotel and the nearby Talk of the Town nightclub where Judy is precariously poised to make yet another comeback, the musical play repeatedly asks the question will she or won’t she? Will Judy be able to perform? Will she stay sober? Doing their best to prop her up offstage and on are manager and soon-to-be fifth husband Mickey Deans (Tom Pelphry), and her gay Scottish-born pianist, Anthony (the excellent Michael Cumpsty). Ultimately, each is fighting a losing battle. Just months after the erratic London club dates, Judy would be dead from an accidental overdose of barbiturates. But for now the show must go on.
Bennett’s Judy draws on the star’s renowned wit, clownishness, foul humor and charm. There’s also the cunning and desperation of an inveterate drug addict. At this point in her life, Judy’s poison of choice is Ritalin washed down with Stoli vodka, but when she can’t get that, any other “adult candy” will do: After mistakenly gobbling pills that were prescribed for a mangy cocker spaniel, she says, “I don’t need a doctor. Call a vet. If I start to pee on a lamppost, then call a doctor.”
Within the fancy suite (designed by William Dudley who also did the perfect costumes), there’s tension. Judy sees her younger paramour as a protector while accompanist Anthony considers Mickey a crass opportunist. He’s written and Pelphrey plays him somewhere in between. Initially Mickey weans Judy off drugs, but later becomes her supplier when she can’t perform without them.
Like any good bio play, “End of the Rainbow” covers all the bases. Judy recalls her vaudeville roots and Benzedrine-fueled MGM youth, cracking jokes about Mickey Rooney’s cigarette–stunted growth, Deanna Durbin’s unibrow and young Elizabeth Taylor’s charm (“She was so charming you just wanted to run her down with a car!”). She covers her lifelong drug addiction and a couple ex-husbands, but conspicuously absent is any mention of her three children whom from all accounts she adored. She gives a nod to her gay fans: “I could throw up in their laps and I would still be glamorous.”
Bennett, who’s been playing the part since early 2010 when the musical opened to critical acclaim in London before transferring to Broadway in March, sounds and looks (especially in profile) like the bony, middle-aged Garland seen in variety show and concert clips. The manic, jerky movements are all there — outstretched arms, upturned palms, jumpy legs. But it’s more than an impersonation. Directed by Terry Johnson, Bennett fully inhabits the star, artist and damaged woman.
Her quavering voice is a tad hoarse, but it works for this late stage in Judy’s career. When she sings “The Man that Got Away,” her hotel room morphs into a nightclub, nicely demonstrating the blurred boundary separating the star’s private life and career. Her riveting Ritalin-addled take on “Come Rain or Come Shine” is a poignant commentary on a once great talent now sick but still putting across one of her signature songs.
Wry and unconditionally loving, Anthony (representing Garland’s many gay fans) offers Judy permanent sanctuary at his home by the sea, promising wholesome food, quiet walks and chaste kisses. Sounds cozy, but Judy isn’t biting. Despite more than once claiming to be “all sung out,” in the end she goes with what she knows: a chaotic life of work, fans and drugs.
The Washington Blade held the seventh annual Pride on the Pier at The Wharf DC on Saturday, June 13.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
The 2026 Lost River Pride Festival was held on the scenic grounds of the Lost River Farmers Market in Lost City, W.Va. on Saturday, June 13. Headliner Tom Goss performed at the festival and gave a second performance at the nearby Guesthouse Lost River.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Books
David Archuleta on Mormon faith, ‘Idol,’ more in new book
Unique memoir details religious upbringing, coming out
‘Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself’
By David Archuleta
c.2026, Gallery Books
$29/290 pages
So just make up your mind already.
The decision is very much in your control – or, at least that’s how it’s supposed to be. It’ll be your future, your path, and seizing it may not just be necessary, but mandatory. It’s your life, and no one can live it for you. As in the new memoir “Devout” by David Archuleta, that goes for career and for love, too.
Born to parents who both had musical careers before they wed, David Archuleta remembers an early childhood growing up in a Hispanic Mormon community in Florida, where kin was always nearby. He was six when his parents moved the immediate family to Utah; the first thing he remembers about that is the snow, and how it was so cold, it burned.
Because music was in his blood, Archuleta grew up singing and dancing, often with his mother whom he calls “my rock.” It was his father, however, who encouraged him to perform; first, with a gentle push, then a shove toward a career Archuleta didn’t really want.
But he did want to make his father happy, so he went along with the contests, embarrassing meet-and-greets with stars, and uncomfortable introductions. Slowly, though, performing became more fun, and Archuleta made friends.
Meanwhile, back home, everything was breaking apart. A “family friend” whom Archuleta refuses to name accused his father of abuse. He was exonerated, but it affected the family’s closeness and they stopped being affectionate.
That was a painful backdrop to Archuleta’s soaring career, his appearances on Star Search, friendships with other rising stars, his runner-up spot on “American Idol,” tours, and recording contracts. His father kept pushing him.
But there was one thing missing.
Since he was a boy, Archuleta had known that he was attracted to men, but his Mormon faith taught him that that was unacceptable. Kissing, his abuelita said, was wrong. He tried hard to date girls, in the most chaste way. Anything past that was against God – and anything at all with a man was unthinkable.
Though it absolutely favors his personal life and dwells on it a bit too much, “Devout” strikes an otherwise nice balance between that, author David Archuleta’s career, his sexuality, and his faith. The latter two are loaded with controversy.
You don’t need to be Mormon to fully understand the faith part; Archuleta offers non-Mormons a brief education, so readers can see the importance of the Church’s teachings in his life and why he felt the need to abandon it as his understanding of his bisexuality grew. It’s emotionally raw and honest, but also so respectful that it almost bears re-reading. Such candor and the heart-on-his-sleeve tone you’ll sense are features in the entire book, alongside Archuleta’s family’s struggles and his learning to strike out alone.
It’s harmonious in more ways than one, and fans will be happy.
So, too, will anyone who wants a unique memoir with a dose of faith, or someone who’s an “American Idol”watcher. Find “Devout” and be sure to share. You won’t mind.
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