The Unsinkable Molly Brown is Worth Its Weight in Gold

by Pat Lindsey

The last time I saw The Unsinkable Molly Brown on The Muny stage was 1989 and its star was Debbie Reynolds. That show was light-hearted, high-energy and packed with singing, dancing, and comedy. The new and improved “Molly Brown” has all of that and more in its revised, historically-accurate dramatic script that leaves the 1960s American musical format in the Leadville dust.

On the hottest night of the year, Beth Malone as Molly Brown burst onto The Muny stage with her flaming red hair and feistiness and took The Muny audience on a journey through the life of Margaret (Molly) Tobin Brown. Her character is as spunky and tenacious as Debbie Reynold’s spirited Molly Brown, but we learn much more about the real woman, who made her way from Hannibal, MO to Leadville, CO in 1886.

When she arrived in a silver mining camp in Leadville, she is dismayed to find out she’s not in Denver, her destination where she expects her dreams to come true. She immediately wants to set out on foot to find Denver, but the miners convince her to stay “until the primroses are blooming,” because winter is coming and there is no way she’s going to be able to make it through the mountains. She meets mining engineer J. J. Brown, they eventually marry, and his gold mine makes them so rich that Molly is able to carry out her philanthropies and political ambitions in the manner she had hoped to be accustomed.

Early in their marriage, J. J. promises Molly “I’ll Never Say No” and takes her to Denver to live. She desperately wants to be a socialite, but she is shunned by the Sacred Thirty-Six, the richest families in Denver. When the Sacred Thirty-Six ignore Molly’s formal dinner invitation, she says, “Ignorant can be learned out of a person; mean is forever.” Molly does everything she can to educate and improve herself so that she can fit in with Denver high society. As time goes on, her ambitions put a strain on their marriage and Molly and J. J. separate.

Molly continues her self-improvement in Europe until she learns that J. J. has had a stroke. She searches for the fastest way to return home and buys a ticket on a new ship, the Titanic, that is sailing for America on April 10, 1912. The Titanic hits an iceberg and the ship sinks on April 12, but Molly takes control of one of the lifeboats and saves the passengers in it. Upon her return to New York, Molly’s son, Larry, meets her with a message from J. J.: “Your mother is too ornery to drown.”

Three time Tony Award winner Dick Scanlan revised The Unsinkable Molly Brown, because the real Molly Brown’s life was far more fascinating and complex than the original version depicted. Beth Malone dynamically brings this multi-faceted tomboy-to-socialite to life by being a bossy, often obnoxious, idealist who can sing, dance, and do cartwheels. Her leading man, Marc Kudisch, is believable in the role of J. J. Brown, a kind and patient man who tolerates Molly’s bull-headedness because he loves her so much. He underscores that love when he sings, “I’d Like to Change Everything About You.” Malone and Kudisch mesh well together and we feel their happiness and disappointments in their characters’ marriage through dialogue and duets.

The songs from the original show remain, but permission was granted to use any of Meredith Willson’s other songs in the new rendition, even if they required new lyrics. Most of the new additions are not memorable, but are fitting with the story line. I’m still partial to the music and dancing that accompany the old “Belly Up to the Bar, Boys.” The lyrics to “My Own Brass Bed” give us insight into Molly’s dreams and her future life with J. J. and “Colorado, My Home” explains why Molly says, “God must have outdid hisself,” when she first sees the Rockies.

A wonderful supporting cast led by Whitney Bashor, who plays the widow, Julia, and the miners, David Abeles, Justin Guarini, and Paolo Montalban, in addition to a large ensemble of singers and dancers, add depth and drama to this production. They deserve a big round of applause for weathering triple-digit temperatures on stage opening night, while dressed in period costumes during this performance and future performances during this week from now through July 27. A second round of applause goes to The Muny’s giant fans that stirred the air and created an amazing breeze over our seats. Ticket holders who chose to stay home due to the heat regrettably missed a fabulous show that’s worth its weight in gold.

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