Pete 'N' Keely is a late holiday stocking stuffer at the John Houseman
Theater on W. 42nd St. that has Broadway insiders cheering. Cleverly
directed by Mark Waldrop, the wunderkind behind the riotous When
Pigs Fly, and satirically written by James (A Christmas Survival
Guide) Hindman, the show is about an ab-fab singing team (more
Steve and Eydie than Sonny and Cher), divorced but reunited for one
of those Ed Sullivan-like TV variety specials in 1968. Adorable Sally
Mayes and camera-ready Rock Hudson clone George Dvorsky are the stars,
and Bob Mackie has designed a dazzling array of costumes that reflect
the flared bell bottoms and sequins of late Sixties fashions with
humor and panache. As Pete and Keely try to hide their mutual hatred
and bare their caps in frozen smiles, the show takes them on a nostalgic
tour of their career that includes a hilarious spoof of their one
flop Broadway show, a spoof of Anthony and Cleopatra called Tony
and Cleo, and a flag-waving national tour comprising a medley
of 50 songs, one for every state in the union. The plot evaporates
faster than the fizz in a glass of Dr. Pepper, but Ms. Mayes and Mr.
Dvorsky will make you surrender unconditionally when they do what
they do best, which is sing, sing, and sing some more. She knocks
your snow boots off with a hot arrangement of "Black Coffee", he stops
the show with a hip-swirling "Fever", and there's a big production
of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" that has to be seen to be believed.
A magnet for celebrities (Bette Midler and Reba McIntyre were there
on the same night), Pete 'N' Keely is Broadway in a bottle--the
brightest, happiest, and most entertaining little show in town.