There are plays and then there is Shakespeare. There are chapels and then there is the Vatican. There are music composers and then there is Beethoven. There are shows and then there is #TheMarvelousMrsMaisel, Season 3 now streaming on #AmazonPrimeVideo. With a 95% approval on #RottenTomatoes this show is the winner of the prestigious Audience Award at the Series Mania Festival in Lille, France. And a delightful treat for the senses – this is an all-encompassing theatrical experience!
Ashok’s Five reasons to watch #AmyShermanPalladino’s ultimate retro comedy musical set in the 1950s New York #TheMarvelousMrsMaisel, an absolute riot of colour, foot-tapping music, fantastic casting, delightful sets and ornate upholstery all led by the lead Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel, played with effervescent energy by #RachelBrosnan. She went on to win both the Emmy and the Golden Globe awards for this once-in-a-lifetime performance. Full marks to Amy and #DanielPalladino, her husband and collaborator for a fantastic visual treat as they re-create the 1950s milieu to the last detail. It is an expensive production and the essence is to create and hold the retro atmosphere all through and it does that brilliantly. The broad back roomy yellow taxis of the 50s was a special treat to watch.
#TheMarvelousMrsMaisel is the story of a flawed lead character, Midge whose marriage is broken and pairs up with a scrappy, hard-talking odd-ball of a woman Susie to try and find an independent identity for herself by harnessing her talent for stand-up comedy. Along the way, she staves off the lack of support from her parents who are both idiosyncratic and lovable, finds a mentor in Lenny Bruce, another stand-up, hob-nobs with her ex-husband and goes through a roller-coaster of an adventure spanning two continents!
1. Watch #TheMarvelousMrsMaisel for a theatrical spectacle unparalleled. There are the retro sets, gorgeous costumes, bright bold colour patterns but there are also characters who blend in delectably into the milieu and help build the show. Along the way, Season 1 is set in Manhattan, New York; Season 2 takes you to Paris and Catskills and now Season 3 to LA and Miami. The focus is to create the perfect “atmosphere” and hold you captive in the 50s. The pastel shades of the walls, perfect shade of mauve or pink depending on the room, the logo of the movers and packers firm all done with perfect detailing is a delight to watch. A special word for the cheerful music that is interspersed with the drama and complements the overall experience. Some of the scenes that I vividly recall are the B Altman store and the ever-busy switchboard, the resort at the Catskills, the performance for the army and the boat trip with Shy where Midge looks resplendent in the blue and white sailor stripes.
2. The show has some memorable characters. Alex Borstein is simply brilliant as Susie Myerson, the scrappy manager with a biting tongue and completely shy of either finesse or affection. Then there are the parents Abe and Rose Weismann played by Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle. They are adamant, odd-ball and caring for their daughter but simply unable to come to terms with her divorce or her new-found profession. Abe, in particular with that whining voice is irritating and yet delightfully quirky.
The show is also a reflection of the conservative Jewish society in the country. When Joel leaves, Midge’s parents are unable to comprehend it. They ask her what she did wrong and actually blame her for what has happened. Abe goes on to advise her “Don’t pick a weak man” and laments “What are you going to do now?” and “What are your children going to do now?”.
Luke Kirby as Lenny Bruce plays Midge’s mentor and the sexual tension between them builds up all through the show. He advises Midge “Anyone who makes people think is very dangerous!”. Leroy McClain plays the singer Shy Baldwin perhaps based on the legendary Harry Belafonte. Midge and Susie also run afoul of Sophie Lennon, the pretensions artist played by Jane Lynch, again some brilliant casting.
What sets the show apart is the contrast between the sets of characters and their vulnerabilities. There is our lead character Midge, definitely flawed in her outlook but totally energetic, vibrant, caustic, inspiring and driven on one side offset by Susie who is cynical, brash and unsophisticated. And the parents Abe and Rosie are unreasonable and childish. Joel’s parents, meanwhile are loud, self-obsessed and vain.
3. The show has no pretensions of capturing reality; on the contrary it persists in creating a visual spectacle with flawed characters who are incorrigible and yet delightful! What it does do is to address a host of the societal challenges of the 1950s from the eyes of a Jewish family. Look beyond the gloss and you will how see serious issues like marriage, divorce, homosexuality, working women, free speech, race and bigotry are dealt with. The flashback shots are edited in with the current day scenes seamlessly, especially the ones which show the young couple dealing with new love or the children transforming into bold and confident women. The series is also all about brilliant writing. Sample the scene where Miriam visits Sophie and is presented with a designer fur coat. In the very next scene at the Church, Rose explodes in anger seemingly at the coat, but the real reason is that she has just discovered that it is Miriam who has in fact rejected Joel.
4. If Season 1 was about the ascent of the performer and Season 2 was all fun and games, Season 3 brings in the concept of loss of property and assets and gets the show ready for the next leap in the arc. Midge is about to lose it all because Susie has gambled away her earnings; she is also ousted out of the Shy Baldwin opening because of her references to his sexual preferences in one of her acts. Abe and Rosie are now jobless and shift to Queens to live with Joel’s parents Moshe and Shirley Maisel (played by Kevin Polak and Carolina Aaron).
5. I want to make a special mention of the designer costumes. Donna Zakowska who designed the costumes was a fabric painter before this and her credo is all about big skitted dresses, natty hats and beautiful style always. “You are telling a story. Clothes tell a story”
A little nudity and lots of profanity apart, here is a master class in the complete retro comic musical show. Each song is hummable, each costume is worth ogling at and each sequence is well etched. The background score is especially note-worthy as the scenes merge into each other with the sound. Don’t be surprised if you look around at each ring of the rotary dial telephone to check if its is your own phone ringing!
Amy Sherman Palladino sums it up in her own words “Who decides what’s funny? Who decides who gets a voice? Who decides what you’re supposed to look like? Who decides what you’re supposed to talk about? Who is the person who decided women weren’t funny a gazillion years ago, and we’ve been living with that forever That’s what Midge is doing: people decided that she should be one thing and she’s changing that”?
What I found really interesting besides the glamour and the spectacle, was some thought-provoking dialogues. Comedy is fueled by oppression, by the lack of power, by sadness and disappointment, by abandonment and humiliation. And who can do this better than a woman! And that is the context in which Midge emerges from the shadow of failure and rejection to find a brand-new identity for herself.
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