The Confession Of Lily Dare

The Confession of Lily Dare is playing at the Cherry Lane Theatre located 38 Commerce Street. It runs two hours with one intermission. The play closes on March5, 2020.

Charles Busch was nominated for a Tony Award in 2001 for Tale of the Allergist’s Wife.

The Golden Gate Bridge is behind us and so are some tomb stones.

Emmy Lou (Nancy Anderson) is looking at a tomb stone when Mickey (Kendal Sparks) stands next to her. They know each other having worked together. Emmy Lou said this is the first time she has visited Lily Dare grave. Mickey tells her he comes every week to take care of the site. They have no idea who paid for it.

It’s now 1900. Aunt Rosalie (Jennifer Van Dyck) is directing orders to Mickey, her piano player. She runs a brothel. Emmy Lou makes a comment she has to put on a costume for a customer. Young Lily Dare (Charles Busch) walks in with a suitcase. She was in a boarding school in Europe when her mother died. Since there was no one to pay for her to stay she came to her aunt to ask if she could stay with her. Aunt Rosalie agrees she can stay but she can only be on the third floor.

The patrons we see are Blackie Lambert (Howard McGillin) a shady character and Louis (Christopher Borg) a crooked account.

As the years go by and Lily is grown up, she becomes intimate with Louie. They were going to get married when the great San Francisco earth quake of 1906 happens. Louie and her aunt are killed. The Brothel is in ruins. Lily tells Emmy Lou she is pregnant. Blackie Lambert gets her a job as a singer in a club. He gives her a pair of diamond earrings. However, he never gave the jeweler the money for the earrings. When the police come, he tells Lily to say they are hers. He promises she won’t go to jail. Well she gets five years. Emmy Lou and Mickey prevent social service from taking her daughter by finding a wealthy family to adopt her. When Lily gets out of jail, she wants to see her daughter but Dr. Carlton (Christopher Borg) and his wife Mrs. Carlton (Jennifer Van Dyck) but they won’t let her but she sees her briefly.

Lily opens her own brothel.

Her daughter Louise (Jennifer Van Dyck) becomes a very famous opera singer.

Things are going good for Lily until the stock exchange crash when things go downhill.

Well I’m not telling you the rest!

It’s a bit campy but still a delightful show to see.

The set is not fancy but nice.

Christopher Borg and Jennifer Van Dyck play several roles. They are amazing in each one. The rest of the cast are outstanding especially Charles Bush. He shines.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor.

To read candid interview with the cast, scroll down to the left for photos. Click on photos for this and other shows.