Review of Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner, A Sort of Love Story at Mercury Theater

Once upon a time I went to a show and it was called Bunny Bunny: Gilda Radner, A Sort of Love Story. It was by Alan Zweibel and it was directed by Warner Crocker. It was about a man named Alan Zweibel (Jackson Evans) who is starting a job as a writer on Saturday Night Live and he meets Gilda Radner (Dana Tretta), who is also new to SNL. They are both kind of terrified so they hide behind a potted tree and they start talking and become lifelong friends. They go through some really hard times, and the relationship changes a lot, but they remain friends and partners in life until the end. It is about fame, complicated relationships, and fulfillment. I think this is a really bittersweet story that was wonderfully acted.

Gilda had a song called "Let's Talk Dirty to the Animals," which was basically swearing at a bunch of animals. It was hilarious. It was an actual song that Gilda sang, and it was a spot-on impression from the performer. It is one of the times you get to see the contrast between what she is like as a performer and what she is like with someone she trusts, like Zweibel. You see that she seems more confident than she actually feels. I think people assume that if someone is funny, they must be confident, but a lot of times people use humor to cover up their insecurities. This play shows her strengths and her insecurities and doesn't just portray her as an amazing hilarious person, even though that is what she is. But she is more that just that; she a real person with real problems and feelings. You get to see her right before she goes on stage a few times, and that is interesting because you see how much of a switch there is. She could be dreading and terrified to go on stage, but when she gets out there, she just lights up.

There is a scene where Gilda and Zweibel go to a basketball game together and he goes to get popcorn and when he come back, she has gone to sit on the bench with the players. These were some of Zweibel's idols, that he could have gotten to meet, but because Gilda didn't consult him about going down to the bench, he didn't get to meet them. She could have been more considerate, but it was also unfair to ask her to give up an opportunity. There is another scene where Zweibel goes to one of Gilda's fancy famous people parties, and the bouncer (Jason Grimm, who plays Everyone Else) stops him and says that he is not on the list. He had to pretend to be Hervé Villechaize, which is kind of ridiculous because Zweibel was very tall. Gilda has all of these famous people there and you can see that Zweibel feels out of place. Even though Zweibel the writer of play, doesn't portray Gilda negatively, you can see he still seems to resent a little the way he thought she was neglecting him for her fame.

This play showcases a relationship that at one point was a romantic relationship that turns into a friendship and stays like that for the better. Near the end of the play they are talking about why they didn't get married and they said that they "just forgot." That is a really cute and bittersweet line, but I think there are a lot of real reasons. They have very different ways of living their lives. What Gilda really wants is the love of the public and Zweibel wants the love of one particular person. And it is hard to share the person you love with the rest of the world, and he shows in the basketball and party scenes that he wouldn't be very good at that. He calls Gilda "Gilbert" because she doesn't want him to call her what everyone else calls her. She wants to be different and special to him, because the general public knows her as Gilda and doesn't really treat her like a person. She wants to be treated like a person by the people she trusts and loves. I think that it is good that even after they aren't in a romantic relationship anymore he continues to call her Gilbert because he still is a very important part of her life. That is one of the most beautiful things about their relationship: how they continue to be vital parts of each others lives. This entire story is like a reverse romantic comedy. Instead of finding out that the person you should have been with was right there all along, they find out that the person they start out with, they were meant to be just friends with all along. They both find "Mr. and Ms. Right" while still having an important relationship with each other, which is what makes this play so beautiful to me.

People who would like this show are people who like reverse romantic comedies, fancy famous people parties, and swearing at animals. I think that people should go see this show. It is a heartwarming and heartbreaking story, and I think it is acted very well.

Photos: Brett A. Beiner