Susan Granger’s review of “I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers” (MTC in Norwalk)
To appreciate John Logan’s caustic comedy, you’ve got to know that Sue Mengers was the brassy barrier-breaker who became Hollywood’s first female super-agent, handling stars like Barbra Streisand, Ali MacGraw, Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, Mick Jagger, Cher and Burt Reynolds, along with directors Mike Nichols, Peter Bogdanovich, William Friedkin, Brian DePalma, Bob Fosse and Sidney Lumet.
Deceit and deception were a way of life in the shamelessly competitive jungle of studio politics, along with the inevitable feuding and fighting. Famed for her deliriously decadent, drug-fueled dinner parties, Sue Mengers loved movie stars; she called them “sparklies.”
Evoking her famed 1975 interview with Mike Wallace, Mengers relates how she was able to become what Time magazine described as a “cross between Mama Cass and Mack the Knife.” And the play’s rueful pathos revolves around Streisand’s defection after Mengers pushed her to appear the dreadful “All Night Long,” directed by her Belgian husband Jean-Claude Tramont.
Resembling a young Candice Bergen/Faye Dunaway, luscious, lanky Jodi Stevens embodies this ferocious yet vulnerable Jewish mama in a breezy, gossip-fueled, theatrical monologue that’s a juicy tour-de-force. The play’s predatory name comes from a book Sue wanted to write: “A Cannibal Love Story.”
Lowering her speaking voice to Menger’s growl and replicating her mocking tone, Stevens, clad in a bejeweled caftan, writhes around on a long couch, enlisting an audience member to fetch a joint or a drink, murmuring, “If you can’t say anything nice about someone, come sit by me…”
Sue Mengers was wickedly funny. One time, viewing someone else’s less-than-impressive dinner party guests, she snobbishly hissed, “Schindler’s B-list.” And after Charles Manson’s family killed Sharon Tate, she reassured Barbra Streisand, “Don’t worry, honey, they’re not killing stars, only featured players.”
Director Kevin Connors, set designer Jordan Janota, lighting designer Michael Blagys and costumer Diane Vanderkroef re-create the atmosphere of Menger’s home, located not far from the Beverly Hills Hotel, with its tall Regency doors, soft colors, Aubusson carpet and white orchids.
For those who relish Hollywood lore, “I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers” is delicious. It’s on the Mainstage of the Music Theatre of Connecticut in Norwalk thru March 5…www.musictheatreofct.com or call 203-454-3883.