'S Wonderful

The blurb I read about the first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel talked it up as the second coming of Gilmore Girls. Co-created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino, the team behind Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel certainly shows promise. The Gilmore Girls comparison is a little unfair. Aside from the sheer amount of dialogue, the tone, the era and the relationships are completely different. And other than a couple of inconsequential crossovers (did the Palladinos have a Russian winter themed wedding, do they wish they had? Not sure, but that specific reference pops up in both series) you would not necessarily know the shows share a creative team. My intense devotion to Gilmore Girls, and the expectations built up by the blurb, may have colored my first viewing of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I wanted to fall heads over heels in love with it, and I can't say that I did. That said, if a bit slow to start, there is potential in the premise and character development. Plus, I now want to move to New York City – in the 1950s. 

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel follows Miriam “Midge” Maisel after her husband, who dreams of trading in his office job for stand up comedy, leaves her for his secretary. Miriam is left to pick up the pieces and create a life with the leftovers. After an angry, drunken, unintentional night on stage at the Gaslight club, Miriam teams up with Susie, the hard scrabble Gaslight manager. Together the two decide to make a go at crafting Miriam into a true comedienne.

While I can appreciate that streaming TV is a great outlet for creative freedom, there is something I miss about a traditional 22-episode season. The first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a tight eight episodes. In order to be truly invested in the characters, there is a whole lot to learn about them and not a lot of time to do it. The first three episodes were mostly expositional, but with episode four it seemed that the show had found its’ voice. At that point the jokes seem less forces, the banter rolls off the tongue. That naturalism can be attributed to the depiction of the blossoming friendship between Miriam and Susie.

Brosnahan and Borstein

Even though Miriam and Susie come from completely different worlds they speak the same language, literally and metaphorically. Rachel Brosnahan (Miriam) and Alex Borstein (Susie) are fantastically natural in their shared scenes and, as a result, their banter is sharp and their relationship feels authentic. The same cannot be said of the other relationships depicted in the show. To start with, a classic TV arrangement: Miriam’s two kids are always conveniently with the sitter, her parents or sleeping. Anywhere but with her. If the premise of the show is that a young wife and mother gets the rug pulled out from under her but the kids don’t really seem to be a big part of her life, what, exactly, has she lost? Miriam’s relationship with her parents doesn’t ring true; there are glimpses of change heading to the end of the season so it will be interesting to see where that goes in the next season – especially if she continues to live with them.

One of the best things about The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is the setting. Having never been to New York nor lived during the 1950’s, I’m in love with the Greenwich Village folk scene. The whole show has a Carousel of Progress feel to it. Colorful old appliances, Zagnuts and Boston Baked Beans at the newsstand and Howdy Doody on TV all combine to pick you up and transport you to into an alternate reality. And the music, always a highlight on Gilmore Girls, is carefully chosen to underscore the tone of the scene or the moods of the characters. Hits and lesser-known songs from the likes of Frank Sinatra, Blossom Dearie and Paul Revere and the Raiders blend seamlessly into the environment of the show. Streisand’s version of “Happy Days Are Here Again” playing over a montage of Miriam moving back in with her parents intercut with scenes from her and Joel’s milestones in their apartment comments on both time periods in Miriam’s life but in very different ways. The acts at the Gaslight are fun as well. I hope beyond hope that some of those acts are intentional homages to Pete Seeger and the Smothers Brothers. 

It is great to have the Palladino voice back on TV, or at least in our streaming services. The end of Gilmore Girls left a hole in a lot of hearts, mine included. And while The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel may not compare, that’s okay, because they really shouldn’t be compared. The charm of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has only started to reveal itself. Season 2 ought to be a hoot.

Laughing Together

There is nothing quite like heading out on the town knowing the evening will be filled with laughter. Laughing at home by yourself or with one or two other people is one thing.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to laugh and I’ll take it in all forms but there’s something about sitting in a theater full of people laughing together that is tremendously satisfying. Such was the evening last week when stand up comedian Kathleen Madigan, currently on her Boxed Wine and Bigfoot tour, stopped by Hoyt Sherman Place. 

If you have not heard of Madigan or watched her two specials available on Netflix get on that immediately, she will not disappoint. Madigan’s sets tend to blend personal stories and observational humor. She carried a grin most of the set that seemed to indicate that she doesn’t take herself too seriously and seems to actually enjoy comedy as a craft. Madigan expertly mines her family for some of her richest material. When she details some of the humorous eccentricities of her large Irish Catholic family you can sense the complicated, knotted ball of yarn that is equal parts love and irritation. Last week some of her funniest material was about her parents and their questionable understanding of reality. Apparently at one point they hatched a plan to drive to Mexico to seek out cheaper prescription medication.

Madigan’s material did not veer into overly political territory. She got in a few barbs against Trump but it was her diatribe on the advanced age of the leaders of both parties (and her brief impressions of Nancy Pelosi, Paw Paw Orrin Hatch and Mitch McConnell) that brought down the house. Aside from that it was a refreshing night off from the reality show that is the current state of affairs. 

Madigan radiates an easy-going sensibility and, despite her often self-deprecating humor, is clearly quick witted. When any stand up comedian pulls from his or her own life or uses family members as fodder for material it’s hard not to wonder how much the eccentricities are exaggerated for effect. But maybe that doesn’t matter. If the result is hilarious then perhaps that’s just another skill: spinning a good yarn. Madigan has been on the stand up circuit for many years and tours most of the year so there is no reason you can’t get out there to check out her set in a city near you. Or at the very least check out her Netflix specials from the couch of your choosing.