My Krak(owski) addiction is acting up again since I took in the NY City Center production of Damn Yankees over the holiday weekend. The ridiculously talented Jane Krakowski dares invite comparison to the legendary Gwen Verdon ...and survives.For those of you too young to know about Gwen Verdon, she was Bob Fosse's chief muse (Leland Palmer plays a version of her in Fosse's auto-biopic All That Jazz, 1979 --click for my retrospective). She created Lola for the stage and transferred her to the screen as well in the 1958 movie musical. Damn Yankees is a comic spin on Faust wherein a crazed baseball fan makes a deal with the devil to help his beloved losing baseball team beat the Yankees. "Lola" is the devil's #1 home-wrecking right hand girl. It's essentially a supporting role but the kind of supporting role that dominates a show. Lola gets the most and the best numbers. Jane Krakowski was working her ass off throughout the new production (running until July 27th), and having a ball with the complicated Fosse choreography.
The production isn't without its rough patches [cough* Sean Hayes is horrible. He can't decide whether to do "JUST JACK" or not ] but the ensemble is great. Cheyenne Jackson plays the Hell bound baseball star and his voice is in better shape than ever. Jane, though, was the dazzling bright spot of the show. She's making a habit of that even if she isn't getting the A list fame her entertaining generosity warrants. She was always a treat on Ally McBeal as "Elaine" working innumerable varations and vulnerability into what would have been a one note role. And then there was Nine, (pictured right) in which she brought down the house with her cooing orgasmic rendering of "Call From the Vatican". The movie version (coming next year --more on that very soon) is going strictly A list in casting. Penélope Cruz snagged Jane's TONY winning role. We know Cruz can do sexy but there's no way her singing is as good. And can she make her seduction wickedly funny as well as sizzling hot? She'll need to bring her Volver A game if she hopes to stop the 
Can Penélope Cruz make seduction hilarious?Anyway, just for fun here's a very old video of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon discussing "Whatever Lola Wants" and performing some of it too.
Whatever Lola wants...
Lola gets
And little man, little Lola wants you!
Lola gets
And little man, little Lola wants you!
How about Nathaniel. Can Nathaniel get what he wants? It's simple: an Emmy nomination for Jane Krakowski for 30 Rock.
She's one of the 10 finalists for supporting actress. Nobody on 30 Rock makes me guffaw as loudly and that's saying something since its the funniest show on television.the 10 finalists
Bold means I'm rooting for them though it's basically a respectable list of ten, don't you think? Kristin Chenoweth, "Pushing Daisies" , Conchata Ferrell, "Two and a Half Men" Jenna Fischer, "The Office" Jane Krakowski, "30 Rock" Judith Light, "Ugly Betty" Elizabeth Perkins, "Weeds" Amy Poehler, "Saturday Night Live" Jean Smart, "Samantha Who?" Holland Taylor, "Two and a Half Men"
and Vanessa Williams, "Ugly Betty"
I'm not naive enough to think Jane is ever going to get a big film career (her current movie part is a dance instructor in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl) but her profile should still be higher for all that she keeps giving in television, on Broadway and very occasionally on the movie screens, too (her last decent film role was Alfie, 2004 though she had a relatively indecent one in Pretty Persuasion, 2005)
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13 comments:
Oh God! An Emmy nod for Jane Krakowski for “30 ROCK” (my favourite TV Show nowadays)!... That would be a dream come true (I’m crossing my fingers for her)… PRO: Jane Krakowski is the sexiest parody of the “blonde actress” ever, CON: She has been snubbed by the Emmys since “Ally McBeal” (wherein she was the total scene-stealer).
And, yes… it is a pretty good top 10 finalists list. Although I dislike “Two and a Half Men”, the ladies Holland Taylor and Conchata Ferrell are awesome. I also dislike “Samantha Who?” but Jean Smart is a consistent talent and a powerful screen presence.
Am I the only one in the universe who doesn't like 30 Rock? I caught an episode on my plane to London, and I found it mildly diverting but nothing to write home about. I don't remember ever laughing out loud. Did I just catch one of the dud episodes? I really didn't think it was that good.
I don't understand why Jane can't become a big film star, though. She's certainly beautiful and talented enough. I guess her particular gifts just play better on TV and in the theatre? She has that Kim Catrall-esque gloriously unsubtle thing going on.
Let's not forget her wonderful role as Constance Justice in The Rural Juror. Oscar nomination maybe?
Seriously, though, Jane Krakowski is a hoot. I'll give her any award she asks for.
Agreed on the Elaine love. I never understood how Jane Krakowski and Greg Germann were never even Emmy nominated. They held that show together.
(Leland Palmer plays a version of her in Fosse's auto-biopic All That Jazz, 1979 --my retrospective)
FYI: for some of us, "Leland Palmer" meant Ray Wise's character from Twin Peaks, which is a much different visual. Until now, I had no idea that name was a reference to anything.
Adam K., it's possible you caught a "dud" episode (I've counted two during the whole run that qualify as 'just okay'), but it just might not be your taste.
I actually thought Jane was kind of miscast in "Damn Yankees" but she still made it work because she's just THAT awesome. So much fun to watch-- wish I could say the same about the rest of the production.
hold on, hold on, news flash, red alert... leland palmer is an actual person, and a woman!...i'd always thought lynch just thought the name leland was cool (and so had i!)
I might switch out one of the Two and a Half Men ladies out for Becki Newton in Ugly Betty; who is consistently hilarious and spotlight-stealing on that show.
Otherwise; this is an incredible shortlist and the supporting actresses in comedy have been of such a high quality for the last few years at any rate.
Non-Jan-Krak-related ...
You've probably already been informed, but I nearly creamed myself when I got home today and opened to the first page of the philatelic. Check this out ...
http://z.about.com/d/stamps/1/7/w/3/-/-/davis_300dpi.jpg
... um, I have been waited well over ten years for this. Simply breath-taking. This easily ranks #4 after Alfred Hitchcock, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe in the Hollywood Legends stamp series. Simply beautiful.
Jane is fantastic on 30 Rock - but so is the rest of the cast, and I think sometimes they overshadow her. She definitely deserves an award nod.
well... it's true that the other actors get more attention within the show itself --I'm not sure why the scripts ignore her so often when she's such a great comedy assett for the show.
Even though I have no doubt Cruz has comic talent when playing in Spanish, combining comic timing + speaking in a second language + singing will be a real challenge for her. Plus, sharing scenes with Nicole Kidman... I wish I could sneak in that set.
Iggy
Ok, Jane may be fabulous...no I know she is. I saw her bring down the house in NINE, but let's not try and compare ANYONE to the Queen of broadway...Gwen Verdon.
Remember that sexy video was from the 50s and was probably 50X scintillating and shocking than it is now.
I'm sure Jane brings the modern sexiness, and deserves accolades and awards, but don't you be messin with my Gwen!!!!
Jane is Jane, and Gwen is Gwen, and that's all!
I didn't say she was BETTER i said she survived risking it ;)
but yeah i love her. she's so multi-talented. acts. sings. dances. does all of them very well.
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