Review: Thank heaven for the return of Sister Dottie

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2009, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

One piece of advice the irrepressible Dottie dispenses early in Pygmalion's revival of "The Passion of Sister Dottie S. Dixon" is, "We Mormons would do better if we stuck to what we do best: entertainment." Charles Lynn Frost, Dottie's alter ego, and Troy Williams obviously kept that in mind when they created the show. Whatever else you say about "Dottie," it's entertaining.

That's due to Frost's tour-de-force portrayal of Dottie; Fran Pruyn's lively direction, which keeps the piece from lapsing into a simple stand-up comic routine; and eclectic "special effects": a video explanation of Mormonism as Dottie tours us around Salt Lake City; an interview with KUER's Doug Fabrizio; pictures of Dottie's ancestors, who look remarkably like Dottie; slides of newspaper headlines and magazine covers depicting her progress on her mission to "bring the Mormons and the gays back together"; and an inspirational song by Lisa Giacoletto.

Instead of just recounting them, Dottie acts out scenes from her life, ranging from her honeymoon in "romantic Panguitch" to interviews with her bishop; her transformative journey to the Burning Man festival in Nevada; some vivid dreams; her short stint in jail after chaining herself to a Deseret Book store to protest discrimination; her "discommunication" trial, where she is "burned at the stake center"; and her final triumphant entry into the celestial kingdom, which "looks just like Spanish Fork."

The show is subtitled "Second Helpings," but other than a few updated jokes and references, there's not much new here. Pygmalion first staged "Dottie" last spring, and it became an instant cult classic. What sells the material -- a strange fusion of tongue-in-cheek jabs at the Mormon Church, a focus on the serious issue of ostracism faced by gay LDS children and their families, and the call for Mormon women to be leaders -- is the force of Dottie's personality as portrayed by Frost. He has the audience's complete attention from the opening moments when he offers cushions and snacks to make sure everyone is comfortable.

He can be flamboyant, will gossip and bitch, or share intimate moments as the occasion demands. His winning combination of confidence, right-on timing and empathy for his subject matter -- "the minoritized and minimalized people in the world" -- never lapses. He loves what he's doing, and it's infectious.

Kent Frogley ably reprises his role as the shy, self-effacing Dartsey FoxMoreland, Dottie's piano accompanist and best friend, and Giacoletto's big voice as the Divine Feminine helps sell one of the show's more sentimental moments.

Brad Henrie's simple, flexible set is set off by Pilar I.'s expressive lighting with its flashing colors and sharply defined transitions. The music and natural sounds of Troy Klee's sound design add another dimension. Judy Ball's costumes and Kent Jensen's wigs combine stylish with slightly frumpy.

If you liked "Dottie" the first time around, the revival will also please you. Deep it's not, but funny is an acceptable substitute.