Joel Weiss

Tess’ Last Night

Produced by W&W Productions, Tess’ Last Night is a musical comedy written with David L. Williams. It premiered in January 2003 at the Goodman Theater in New York City, and was selected to be part of the NYC Fringe Festival where it played at the Greenwich House Theatre.

A woman of pure heart and great spirit, Tess finds herself in over her head when she leaves Canada to pursue her double dream of finding fame and true love in the Big Apple’s children’s theatre community. With luck and pluck, she ends up playing all seven dwarves, netting herself a marriage with her director and making her the hit of NYC. Then she loses everything, only to find it again in Buffalo in the arms of a puppeteer.

Breanna Pine singing “Be a Diva”
Be A Diva

REVIEW from NYTheatre.com

TESS’ LAST NIGHT
reviewed by Jeffrey Cassaro

Tess’ Last Night is about the young and unmarried Tess, who trades the suburbs of Canadatown to pursue a career in NYC’s Children’s Theater. It is the wholesome portrayal by Carrie Libling that makes me believe in Tess’ dream.

The equally convincing performances of Leigh Williams as Mariana and Breanna Pine as Dahlia (the two jaded reigning queens of the Theater) and Christine Carroll as the show’s sarcastic narrator make me believe in Tess’ frustration achieving it!

Calling this a musical is not fair; it is a comedy with some hysterical musical numbers added in, which I am afraid I missed parts of, as I was busy laughing. The songs are short and sometimes silly but this cast is more than able to sing them convincingly, especially the women in this production. The sarcasm and slurs run rampant but the deliveries made by this tight cast keep it lighthearted and fun. The sets are cleverly constructed to move quickly and the costumes, although minimal, are often as amusing as the lines and musical numbers. I enjoyed laughing at it all so much. The chorus members are all very skilled and seem to be having as much fun as the audience, especially in “Be A Diva,” a number worthy of a much larger stage.

If this show remains this tight and this entertaining, I see no last night for Tess’ Last Night. It is just so much fun!