Theater review: ‘Fix Me, Jesus’

DALLAS — Annabell is looking for a good fit.

That is why she is in such a panic as she tries on one expensive gown after another in a fitting room of the Neiman Marcus at Northpark Mall in Fix Me, Jesus, the dramedy at Theatre Three .

But what Annabell (Brett Warner) is really looking for in this play by Helen Sneed is a good fit in life. She is a harried political organizer for Texas Democrats looking for a lifeboat at the height of the Reagan administration (the show is set primarily in 1986) who has little time or talent for romance. She lives in the shadow of her father, who is an important party official, and is having even more trouble establishing her own identity than she is selecting the right dress for an upcoming wedding.

During the course of the show, we are taken through flashbacks that reveal the roots of most of her problems can be traced back to her relationships with her racist bulldozer of a grandmother (Gene Raye Price) and her vacuous socialite of a mother (Sherry Hopkins). These connections are revealed in scenes we see with those characters, and in sessions with Annabell’s therapist, Dr. Feld (Shane Beeson). We also see and hear from the young Annabell (Sydney Noelle Pitts), as well as the exceptionally competent Neiman’s clerk, Mrs. Craig (Brandi Andrade).

You see, there is a lot more to this show than just buying a fancy dress. The wedding, a gubernatorial election, the Kennedy assassination, a few affairs, a concealed weapon or two, Neiman’s impending closing time (announced sporadically by a voice-over that also trumpets specials for the shoppers that include his and hers saddles) and the threat of suicide are among the balls that Sneed deftly keeps in the air in her script.

There are strong soap opera elements in this show, which is ultimately all about women in love. But there is also some interesting political insight (native-Texan Sneed has divided her career between politics and theater) and a great deal of on-the-mark humor that skewers Dallas’ elite of a time gone by.

The scene where the grandmother provides the 10-year-old Annabell with a wildly distorted, racially-slanted plot synopsis for Madama Butterfly (in grandma’s version, Pinkerton is victimized by that scheming Asian, Cho-Cho-San) as the child dutifully cleans the grandmother’s loaded handgun, for example, is hysterical. There are also some nifty, poison-tipped one-liners — such as when Annabell opines after a particularly brutal electoral butt-kicking, “Democracy. Why bother?”

This show is worth well more than its price of admission just to see so many amazing actresses on one stage at one time. Warner, who hardly ever leaves the stage in this single act, 110-minute play, does an incredible job as the engine driving this train. She is called upon to be funny, tragic, strong and vulnerable, and she answers the bell for every round.

The incomparable Price chews and digests her part like an overpriced meal at a pretentious Dallas restaurant. Her character is a force of privileged nature. She is mean, brash and completely unapologetic, and Price uses those character flaws to make her glow like a 200 watt light bulb.

Hopkins is also on-the-money with her portrayal of the shallow, hard-edged mother who does not have much of a mind, but who does have a shark-like instinct to devourer and survive. She is especially good in her scenes with the young Annabell and, as she has shown in previous shows, can really rock retro hair and clothing styles like those used in this show.

Do not dare overlook Andrade as the helpful clerk. Her performance is so even and natural that it can almost get lost in the hysteria created by the other characters. But if a “best actress” award was given for this show, her name would be on it with all the others. They are all first among equals here.

Also noteworthy are the costume designs by Ryan Matthieu Smith, which convey the time period and social strata of the script beautifully, and the lighting design by Bruce R. Coleman.

All of this talent is controlled and prodded artfully by director Emily Scott Banks.Banks is, herself, an outstanding performer. And when she directs, she has a rare ability to bring her players up to own high standards of acting.

The only complaints about this show are that some of the plotlines are a bit sudsy and the relationships among some of the characters are convenient to the point of straining credibility. There is one scene set in a black Dallas church where the recorded soundbed delivers what sounds like sea coast ambience (huh?). Plus, the show also needs an intermission.

But, overall, it is hard to believe that this show premiered off-Broadway in 2013 before being done here. This is a perfect choice for this theater, which is located less than six miles from where the play is set. You will richly enjoy seeing wealthy Dallas take it squarely on the chin while Annabell teaches us that, if the dress fits, you have to wear it.

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Theater review: ‘Fix Me, Jesus’."