"Doing a musical is one of my favorite things in the whole world, but the fact that [Molly Brown] existed is just fantastic."
That's actress Stacy Moscotti, talking about "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," which comes to the Valentine Theatre for two performances tomorrow.
Moscotti, a Philadelphia native, plays the title character in the show, and it's a good thing she loves it, because she's on stage in nearly every scene.
The Unsinkable Molly Brown, which opened on Broadway in 1960, was written by Richard Morris, with music and lyrics by Meredith Willson, who gave the world The Music Man. Tammy Grimes portrayed the character during the show's entire Broadway run, and Debbie Reynolds starred in the 1964 movie. The most recent cinematic incarnation of Molly Brown was in the movie Titanic, wherein Kathy Bates played the character.
Moscotti said said she has a sneaking suspicion the production staff of her show saw Titanic, because many of her costumes - and she has a lot of them - echo Bates'. She said that's fine with her, because she loved the way Bates portrayed the feisty woman.
The real Molly Tobin was born in poverty near Hannibal, Mo., around 1860. She worked in a saloon, where she met and married Johnny Brown, who struck it rich as a silver prospector in Colorado. Widowed in her mid-50s, she toured Europe and was returning to America on the Titanic. When it struck an iceberg and sank, Brown was credited with helping a number of people survive.
The stage production follows Brown's story pretty closely, Moscotti says, although it does depart from the facts to provide a "happily ever after" ending.
"Molly had big dreams and she expected to achieve them. She wanted to provide for her father and see the world. For a woman with no education, it would seem to be an impossibility, but she made it happen," Moscotti said.
"She ran for Congress three times before women even had the right to vote. Yet she never forgot where she came from. She helped set up and supported many charities," Moscotti said.
"One of my favorite stories about Molly is that when she was on the Carpathia, after being rescued from the Titanic, she realized that a lot of the [steerage-class] women had lost their husbands, their only source of livelihood, and she raised money for them and helped them get education and jobs."
In the production, Moscotti said that one of her favorite elements is the dancing.
"I started out as a dancer," Moscotti said. "But I quickly realized in middle school that if I wanted to be more than a dancing tree, I'd have to learn to sing and act."
Moscotti, who is in her early 20s, graduated magna cum laude from Duke University, where she studied theater.
"I didn't intend to study theater. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do, but I got cast in a big school musical on my second day of college, and I suddenly realized that I couldn't see myself giving it up."
Like those of The Music Man, Willson's songs for The Unsinkable Molly Brown have a distinctly American feel and include "I Ain't Down Yet," Belly Up to the Bar, Boys," and "Colorado, My Home." Also like The Music Man, Molly Brown is devoid of profanity, on Willson's insistence.
Moscotti says she would rate the show a G or PG, if it were a movie. "There's a little bit of cartoonish type violence and some floozy-type women in the bar. I don't know if it will interest a 5-year-old, but anyone 9 or up will think it's wonderful."
"The Unsinkable Molly Brown" is scheduled tomorrow in the Valentine Theatre, 400 North Superior St. Tickets for the 3 p.m. show are $30, $43, and $52. Limited single seating is available at 8 p.m. Information: 419-242-3490.
Nanciann Cherry can be reached at ncherry@theblade.com or 419-724-6130.
First Published March 26, 2004, 12:12 p.m.
