A Would-Be Soundtrack to Hillary’s Life

An engaging performer with a pleasant voice and a passing resemblance to Hillary Clinton, Kate Peters impersonates the first lady in “The First Lady, and Other Stories of Our Time,” a musical tribute timed to coincide with the Democratic National Convention. Considering the patchwork nature of her show, Peters might have been better off with a straight cabaret set.

Peters’ piece revolves around the supposition that Hillary, in town for the convention, drops in unexpectedly at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and winds up preempting Peters’ regularly scheduled show at the Cinegrill. Wonder of wonders, Hillary proves no mean chanteuse, reeling off song after song, interspliced with her candid personal commentary about her life in and out of the White House.

The tenuous thread of narrative gapes at the seams, but Peters’ touching admiration for her subject almost compensates for her meager material, and certain numbers pack an unexpected emotional punch. “Woodstock,” a strikingly oddball selection, is the most surprisingly resonant offering of the evening, a poignant valedictory of the fiercely democratic ideals largely misplaced in recent decades. And although “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” proves a bit, well, heavy, it is also an effective, an unabashedly sentimental appeal that should be required listening for the delegates gathered at Staples Center.

However, when Peters’ Hillary, lamenting Bill’s tendency to stray, croons a soulful “Desperado” to her wayward spouse, the going gets a bit thick. Fortunately, Peters’ backup ensemble, the Ron Kobayashi Trio--pianist Kobayashi, bassist Baba Elefante and drummer Steve Dixon--are superb jazz stylists who keep the action flowing in this pleasantly diverting if slightly innocuous showcase.

* “The First Lady, and Other Stories of Our Time,” the Cinegrill at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood. Friday-Sunday only, 10:30 p.m. $15 cover and two-drink minimum. (323) 466-7000. Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.

‘Hollywood’ Home for Some Wannabes

“Fine in Hollywood” at the Flight Theater revolves around a group of young Hollywood hopefuls all desperate to make their mark in the entertainment industry.

Wannabe writer Ben (Benjamin Burdick) and wannabe actor Fuzz (Thomas Weber), best buddies since childhood, share a Hollywood house with wannabe agent Angelica (Jennifer Lyn Grant) and wannabe producer Becky (Tawnya Michelle Worsham), the token lesbian of the piece. Other housemates include Manny (Alberto Carroll), another wannabe actor, and Heaven (Grace Renn), a wannabe actress who is deeply in love with hunky Fuzz.

Best friends as well as roomies, these compatriots look to each other for companionship and support as they navigate the treacherous terrain of their chosen careers. But when Fuzz makes the transition from wannabe to hot Hollywood star, the group’s delicate equilibrium is painfully disrupted.

From “Morning Glory” to “Fame,” the spectacle of eager youths vying for their big break into show biz has fascinated pulp writers. And whether she intended to or not, playwright Heather Hope has written a pure potboiler in vintage pulp tradition.

But there’s a fatal flaw in Hope’s melodramatic design. Unlike the resonant stereotypes of the typical pulp, Hope’s characters are hopelessly microcosmic. There are no villains here, nor heroes, just opportunistic organisms whose amoeba-like interactions would have little interest or significance for anyone outside the primordial Hollywood soup. Even for industry insiders, the story may well seem simple-minded and reductive.

For these narcissists, concerns of craft and professionalism are secondary to the single-minded pursuit of success. Yet Hope asks us to care deeply about their puerile concerns. Despite the best efforts of director Peter Mattsson and his ebullient and youthful cast, we cannot, ultimately, give a hoot.

* “Fine in Hollywood,” Flight Theater at the Complex, 6472 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Ends Aug. 26. $14. (310) 289-2999. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.