Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Radio review – TGA#88 – “Lady in the Dark” (1947) ***

Perhaps the best radio adaptation of this show, even if the hour long running time means we don’t get the Danny Kaye number that was apparently such a show-stopper. We do have Gertrude Lawrence reprising her stage role, and she’s quite good as the sophisticated woman who goes to see a shrink about her mental problems. The piece remains sexist, with her co-worker insulting her for not wanting to be a real woman and her devotion to the job, etc. Some of the Kurt Weill songs are pretty. The inclusion of them means the plot involving Lawrence’s romances with a married man, movie star and co-worker are trimmed right down. (Is this why the script is so sexist? Because otherwise Lawrence would be too much for 40s audiences, with her glamour, success and men pawing all over her?)

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