‘Blonde’ doesn’t try to present a tender memory

Kevin THOMAS says Mae West would not have liked “Dirty Blonde” and suggests the play’s image of West is in conflict with the real person.

Although this article (“A Beguiling Mixture of Daring and Dignity,” March 8) was an inherently subjective “reminiscence,” we think it is important that readers understand the divide between Thomas’ purpose and that of “Dirty Blonde’s” creators, Claudia Shear and James Lapine.

Make no mistake. We appreciate the obvious love Thomas has for West, a figure who moved us during our experience with this project. As I read Thomas’ words, I was reminded of Charlie, a character in the play so inspired by his heroine that he is able to summon the courage to confront the darkness in his life. The tone of reverence in both Thomas’ and Charlie’s descriptions of West is so strikingly similar that I wonder if Thomas was simply too close to West to realize that Shear got it exactly right in her play.

Something else Thomas wrote in his article -- that Shear is “too ample” to portray West -- is a more disturbing indicator that his friendship with the star has prevented him from fully understanding this play. Setting aside the personal attack on the excellent actress (who portrays both Mae West and her adoring fan Jo in the play), we must point out that the casting of Shear as West enhances the meaning of “Dirty Blonde.”

As Don Shirley observed in his Times review (“ ‘Blonde’ Has More Fun,” March 8): “The billowy 1890s costumes [West] wore ... give a lot of leeway to West impersonators.... As a result, this is one play in which fidelity to the actual look of the famous protagonist is of relatively little importance -- the point is to capture her spirit and animate her image, which Shear does splendidly.”

Thomas further charges that “Dirty Blonde” fails to capture West’s “intimate dignity” and the fact that she was a “lady” offstage -- a contrast with her brash, daring stage and screen image. Perhaps. But the Mae West of “Dirty Blonde” is wrapped in the same kind of dichotomy between private and public image that Thomas cites. If West is treated with less tenderness than Thomas would like, it is because the tender moments are reserved for the play’s true protagonists, Jo and Charlie.

Which makes this a good time to point out that -- as Shear has provocatively suggested -- this play is not about Mae West, even though the production is awash in images of the icon. Just as all great plays transcend their nominal subject to a deeper meaning, “Dirty Blonde” employs the image of Mae West to bring us a moving and fundamentally human story about personal power, courage and love.

Nobody can take away the loving memories Thomas has of West. They belong to him. But the price of her fame is that Mae West’s image belongs to all of us. And that image has made her a hero to us in ways that she may not have intended.

Maybe Mae West would have hated “Dirty Blonde.” But we love Mae -- and ourselves -- more because of this wonderful play.

Sheldon Epps is artistic director at Pasadena Playhouse, where “Dirty Blonde” recently played.