Hey Yall, I just dropped in to share a short review of this musical based on the life of Donna Summer. I caught the show here in St. Louis at The Fabolous Fox Theatre a little over a week ago. I attended the matinee show on Sunday, January 19, 2020. I had an awesome seat front and center.
Donna Summer gained celebrity in the 70’s as the Queen of Disco. I happen to be a fan of “old school music” specifically the 60’s and 70’s. I guess I picked that up from my parents. My mother is a huge Motown fan ( think Marvin Gaye was her favorite), and my father loved him some Blues and Soul Music. I also have an affinity for the fashion from that era, so maybe I am just an old soul. I love the colorful prints and the form-fitting styles that women wore in that era. Matter of fact I have plenty of clothes that are reminiscent of the era in my closet and I wear them with pride. I think I manage to look cute and not outdated…or least that’s my belief anyway.
So I headed out on a chilly afternoon to catch this show. I actually read a Donna Summer biography when I was in grade school ( I was always a bookworm). My favorite Donna Summer song is “Last Dance” and I couldn’t wait to see that one performed. True to form, I got there late and had to watch the opening act from the lobby. Once I made it to my seat, I did enjoy the show. It was Cute. There were three actresses playing Donna, there was Duckling Donna (youth), Disco Donna (at the height of her career) and a Diva Donna (who was the narrator). This third actress also placed Donna’s mother.
The storyline was a little rushed but touched on different moments in her life. It showed her singing in the church choir in her youth and alluded to the fact that she may have been molested by someone in the church. Donna later dropped out of school and went on to Germany where she became a star. A relationship scarred by domestic violence as well as a possible drug addiction were weaved throughout the storyline as Donna referred to “blue pills” and how they controlled her life at times. Donna struggled with being typecast as the “Queen of Disco” and at some point contemplated suicide. Again the storyline was vague but overall I was entertained. All three Donna’s did a great job playing their roles and had great voices. There was a theme of girls playing the part of guys throughout. Not sure if they didn’t have enough guys for the part of it was an act of women empowerment to have those roles played by women. The costumes were cute and there was a theme of blue used for the Donna characters. There was one really cute denim jumpsuit that was worn by Donna #2 that caught my eye (70’s style). I kept thinking to myself where can I find that jumpsuit…but getting back to the show, The song “Love to Love You Baby” was sort of the theme song and was played at various moments throughout the show. My favorite Donna song, “Last Dance” was performed as the finale and it was great, complete with flashy outfits and a cute dance number. If you like musicals or if you are a Donna Summer fan or simply just love good music, it makes for an entertaining day/night out.
