"Respect"          Act Two Playhouse, Ambler, PA          May 5 - June 28, 2009

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T...find out what it means to me."  Apparently it means a great deal to women all over the Philadelphia area.  Ladies have been flocking to the Act Two Playhouse production like pilgrims traveling to Lourdes. 

"Respect" is the brainstorm of author Dorothy Marcic and features a multitude of popular songs.  The show celebrates the strides women have made over the years.  It features a wide range of popular music from "Someone to Watch Over Me" to "I Will Survive."

The Act Two Production has been so successful that it extended the show not once, but twice.  And, furthermore, in January it will move to the Society Hill Playhouse for yet another run in a larger theater.

While the book offers some rocky transitions between songs, the music saves the day.  Moreover, the talents of Daniel Herbert, Cheryl Williams, Lois Sach Binder, and Jennifer Lorae take you on a fun journey through the years.  Their voices blend beautifully and listening to them is pure joy.  Danielle Herbert has just been nominated for a Barrymore Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical.

Director Bud Martin has done an exquisite job of getting the most out of his actresses and cleverly navigating through this sometime overbearing script.

The various screen projections add a great deal of comedy to the show.  Music director Colin Maier has done a marvelous job with the complex arrangements and is also a charming presence throughout the entire show.

Women will thoroughly enjoy this celebration of achievement.  

Why you should see it?   You enjoy great music sung beautifully by four very talented people. 

Why you may not want to see it?  You are a male who is allergic to extreme doses of estrogen.