Off-Broadway: "Joy" Tells a Mop-Top Mom's Story of Success

 

Betsy Wolfe ("& Juliet" and "Waitress") 

plays Long Island inventor Joy Mangano. 

By Alice Garbarini Hurley

At "Joy," you feel hope and laugh loud at the mettle of Joy Mangano, the Long Island inventor of the Miracle Mop in the 1990s. Facing the camera on QVC, she sold 18,000 mops in under 30 minutes. She elevated the unsexy tool to something more fun, if domesticity can be fun. It had a a big cotton string head that stayed fresh and pretty (remove and spin it in the washer) and a handle mechanism for easy wringing and to save back strain. 

Her story inspired the 2015 movie "Joy," starring Jennifer Lawrence. Ms. Mangano had lost her job as an airline travel agent, and her parents lived with her. The bills were piling up. The real Joy, played with sparkle here by Betsy Wolfe ("Waitress," "& Juliet"), was a divorced mom of three but off-Broadway, she has one child, a teen daughter, who can't afford things teens need and want, like money for a school trip to Disney. 

Wolfe wins as a striking blonde in mom jeans, determined to make that mop. She won't take no for an answer, especially not from the men in the QVC boardroom. She begs and borrows money from her father's glam young girlfriend, trusts her dad to manage the books (oops) and gets swindled for a patent by a cowboy who doesn't show his hand (Paul Whitty in a star turn). 

When Wolfe steps off the stage to present mops to some audience members, you can tell everyone wants one. It's a rough world outside the theater, and laughter and lightness is a buffer. A staffer quickly whisks the mops away for safekeeping until after the show. 

This feel-good production features a fine-tuned ensemble that makes quick changes and a roster of songs and dances about believing in yourself and following your dreams. Ms. Mangano went on to mop up annual sales of more than $150 million on Home Shopping Network. She developed other clever, even cute, products including slim, velvety, no-slip Huggable Hangers that caught Oprah Winfrey's eye. The people leaving the theater had pep in their steps (and maybe JOY friendship bracelets in their pockets, since they're sold out now in the official online merchandise shop). But you can still get the gray flowy tee, with a scoop neck and lettering that says SPARK CREATE INVENT SPREAD JOY. There's magic in those words.

Jennifer Lawrence starred in the movie version (2015).

The suits at QVC are captivating and funny. Charl Brown, front and center, is crush-worthy.

Joy: A True New Musical

Through Sunday, August 17 at the Laura Pels Theater, Manhattan; joythemusical.com. Running time: 2 hours.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joy Mangano, cover girl, 

February 2016 issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine.

$$$ Catch-up: Friday/Saturday/Sunday

I will lump them all together.

King Kong, the remarkable musical. Image from syfy.com.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Friday, round trip DeCamp bus to NYC for Punch and me, $7.65 times 4, $34.60.
• Junior's, pre-theatre dinner with Sis; her step-granddaughter from Wisconsin; and Edie. Bill for Punch and me with tip, $64.
• Very good "King Kong" on Broadway orchestra seat for P; Sis bought my ticket for my bday, $99. We loved it.
• Intermission, Punch got soda in a reusable King Kong cup and a roll of Mentos, $14. Way overpriced, but at least souvenir cup.
• Starbucks, P. drink, about $5.
• Junior's, while P and I walked around with an hour+ to kill before midnight bus, 1 cupcake, $3.95 and 1 large cup decaf coffee, $2.25, so $6.20.
• Saturday, Starbucks, P. drink and brownie, about $10.
• Montclair parking meter, $1.50.
• Little Bear Poke, Punch and I shared a large Big Wave Dave rice and fish bowl, had 20 percent off discount offer, with jar tip, about $16.60.
• Sunday, ShopRite, big sack of IAMS dry dog food, 1 wet dog food, snacks for P to bring to camp, half-gallon organic milk, $28.12.
• plus $60.71 from Wednesday.
• and $8 from Thursday.

TOTAL SPENT OUT OF POCKET WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY/FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY: $347.73.

RUNNING TOTAL FOR MONTH AS OF JULY 28 [AND STARTING JULY 5]: $1,514.08.

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND SO FAR: $63.08.

This monthly spend is pretty low so far, thanks to Punchy being Mimi-based for 2 full weeks--and me being at Sis's for four nights.

Big-ticket firecracker items in July: *Marcel bkfast w Punch and loaf of bread, $29; *Tory Burch sandals, $111; Starbucks Camp day, $94 [I subtracted the Bear Mountain pickles and peaches]; Punch bday gifts for friend + tiramisu w Elaine, $37; Joyist to write, + Punch drop-in, $30; one day of Joyist Reset Meal Plan, $35; Elixir of Love body creme, $30; Kings, groceries to make Bobbi Brown website chocolate-chip cookie dough, plus candle holder and votive, $32; and Nest Fragrances candles/lip balm website order, $82; took Sis to Thai restaurant for lunch, $36; The Paper Store, cross-body bag, notebook, etc., $66; Whole Foods, quiche and chocolate espresso custard ingreds plus groceries, $80.63; pre-theatre Junior's dinner for me and P,  $64; King Kong Bway ticket, $99; and that expensive Montclair burger w shaved truffle, about $28 with tip.

New York Minute

Our room looked just like this. Platform bed,
Archipelago Designs faux fur throw, so cozy.
Amazing view of glittery city.

It was a nice metropolitan getaway. Dan and I relaxed and had fun. Travel notes:

1. Mass transit. We took the bus and two subways on Saturday. We left Montclair near 2 and were in our hotel room on the Lower East Side by 3:10 p.m. 
2. Three’s company. I had to bring that darn CPAP machine along.
3. High style. Dan booked a room for one night on the 14th floor of The Public, a hip, glam, young hotel designed by Ian Schrager of Studio 54 fame. Nice minimally designed rooms with thoughtful details, from small, cube/shaped fridge with crystal-clear door to large, flat shower head [warm rain pouring, not dribbling] and modern reading lights over the bed--you fold them into the wall. Website tagline: LUXURY FOR ALL.
4. Cafe society. We remembered that our nephew, Chris; his beautiful, French partner, Marie-Camille; and their friend Nick live in an apartment just a quick walk from the hotel. We texted them and they suggested we meet at 9:30 at Anyway Cafe on 2nd Street in the East Village. It was a cozy, quirky little Russian place. Items on our table included absinthe, espresso martinis, gravlax, caviar. Live music. We really enjoyed it. Felt like we were somewhere far, far away from Montclair--Europe, maybe.
5. The moon! We were on such a high floor that the moon seemed really close as we went to sleep....if we opened the sheer drapes and craned our necks, we could see its texture, its light so bright. [You can also push the "drapery" control button to lower the shade.]
6. Broadway show. "The Book of Mormon" was funny, energetic, witty--a lot of rollicking laughter in our audience seats. I will admit some of it was more actively obscene than I anticipated--and vivid images of the "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream" linger. But I love the songs "Turn It Off" and "Man Up"--have them on Spotify already--and the dancing, jumping, joking. Laughter is healthy. Such great music. "Hello," the opening song, features multiplying Mormon doorbell-ringers holding their blue books. I also didn’t know coffee was against Mormon rules until I saw the Starbucks-style cups in hell! I liked learning about Mormonism--I think the only Mormon I’ve known was a handsome, blonde, clean-cut, all-American college guy who was in our group of interns at The Nation magazine in the summer of 1982. Wow, working at a liberal magazine in the Village--how did that fit in? [That was also when AIDS was emerging in the U.S., and the Mormon show depicts the epidemic in Uganda, where the young missionaries live.]

Punchy comes home tomorrow....school holiday. We are back in our humble living room. 

TCOY

1. Good skin care. Like my naked + thriving detox oil for face.
2. Liked showering with the body wash at hotel.
3. Time and space, strolling, going to Russian place with Chris & Co., checking out a tiny place called Caffe Vita on Ludlow Street, where the latte was just what I was after. Beans I had never tried before; rich, creamy cap; beautiful design made by barista Megan. 
4. Getting to know Dan again/better. We talked and listened and it was fun. We didn't have to focus on Punch and we couldn't bicker, as we tend to in car, because we were on public transportation! I learned things about him that I didn't know even after almost 5 years of dating and 28 years of marriage. For instance, when we walked by Orchard Street, he told me his mom took him there to get a leather jacket when he was heading to Beloit College in Wisconsin. He said people put things out on the sidewalks to sell. I think he was wearing that brown leather jacket the night of our first kiss.

$ MONEY OUT OF POCKET

Dan booked hotel and got show tickets....I know that is our money, but I didn't make the purchases. Here is money I spent Saturday and Sunday:

• Blowout and pedicure, $35 each. Plus tips, total $88.
• One falafel in pita for me and Dan to share + jar tip, about $9.
• At hotel, large bag of honey-mustard breadsticks, small coffee + jar tip, about $14.
• Tip for housekeeping, $5.
• Tip for holding our four bags [including tote and CPAP] while we walked around the Lower East Side today, $4.

TOTAL FOR TWO DAYS: $120.

Curtains + Big Screen

Like all good art, these two productions opened my eyes to vivid worlds--in this case, lifting my heart with the magic of movie-making and music. And leaving me with stories so riveting that I cannot forget them.

THE BROADWAY MUSICAL "CAROUSEL"
First opened on Broadway in 1945, this show has been reborn many times. 
   Oh, so much to love about "Carousel." How did I not know it was set on the coast of Maine, a place I visit at least twice a year? The timing is the late 19th and early 20th centuries. So many seaside treasures, let me list them:

• The set!!!!! Sailboats bobbing on horizon, Victorian bathing beach, clambake on an island, the twinkling night sky. Beautiful stars polished by those who have left life as we know it. [Scenic design by Santo Loquasto.]
• The story arc and the songs!!!! Fishing caps off to you, brilliant, brilliant Rodgers & Hammerstein. I'm listening to the soundtrack right now on Spotify. I adore it. I wish my Mom and Dad were here because I'm sure they knew the songs and likely saw the show. Gifts: "A Real Nice Clambake," "The Carousel Waltz," "Mister Snow," "June Is Bustin' Out All Over," "When the Children Are Asleep," "Blow High, Blow Low," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "Soliliquy," and "What's the Use of Wond'rin?" So inspiring.
• The cast!!!! All enchanting, especially Joshua Henry as strapping, handsome carousel barker Billy Bigelow; Jessie Mueller as his love, Julie Jordan; opera soprano Renée Fleming as Nettie Fowler; Lindsay Mendez as Carrie Pipperidge; Alexander Gemignani as Enoch Snow [that's Mister Snow]; talented Margaret Colin as evil Mrs. Mullin, the widow who owns the carousel; John Douglas Thompson, the starkeeper; Amar Ramasar [amazing dancer] as troublemaker Jigger; and Brittany Pollack as young Louise. Well, that's everybody...the rest is the ensemble. They all captured my heart.
• The word starkeeper. Did you see that? The word starkeeper. The idea that there are starkeepers in the heavens.
• The Maine history. I liked hearing about the cotton mill where the young girls lived and worked [with tight night curfews] and how a fisherman like Mister Snow could start with one boat and end up with a fleet, catching sardines. The clambake song refers to lobsters and melted butter, and chowder ingredients. Much of the music is a pure old-fashioned treat, like unwrapping a piece of saltwater taffy in summer while an ancient carousel spins. The whaling song transports us to the ship deck with the boys. The story line offers a chance to return to earth for a day and make things right after you pass to the heavens [or purgatory]. And: A reference to Bangor, where my mother-in-law has lived for decades.
• The costumes. Long dresses, aprons, knitted shawls. It can get chilly in Maine at night. I like Mister Snow's fishing boots, too.
• The emotions. The joy of falling in love, the abandon, the willingness to give up other things in its honor. The jealousy of an older woman. The heartbreak of losing a father before you knew him and living with his tarnished history in a small town. [I thought of Punchy.] The way marriage can turn ugly--or lead to a boatload of kids. 

Here is a link to "The Carousel Waltz" music. [Skip the ad.]

Oh, I am so grateful Sis got me a ticket to join her and her friends the other night. She scored a discount at $70 each, counting handling; I paid for part, will pay back rest.

Charlize Theron as postpartum Marlo in "Tully."

THE MOVIE "TULLY" 
Figgy and I went to see this on the Saturday night before Mother's Day. Dan was working in D.C.; Punch was visiting her birth mom for a one-night sleepover. This film is magical and mystical and I hadn't even noticed something very important, which Figgy brought up as soon as the credits rolled. I don't want to spoil it for you, so I can't say what it was. Brilliant script by Diablo Cody, who wrote the wonderfully textured, witty and unforgettable "Juno."

Excellent portrayal of exhausted motherhood by Charlize Theron as Marlo, a mom with a career outside the home [she's not back to work yet] who just gave birth to her third baby. The plot involves a night nurse, Tully, who works like a busy bee while Marlo gets some rest. Tully cleans the messy house, like a bustling Cinderella, and even bakes cupcakes that make weary Marlo look like a superhero at school drop-off. Theron is beautiful, never mind engorged boobs and stained tee shirts--and so real when she loses her cool with the school principal, who finds Marlo's middle child "not a good fit" for the school. Oh, this is a delicious story that delves into who we are before and after kids, and how motherhood changes us. Also: What we left behind, often along with a flatter belly.

Enjoy your day.

In the Pink with a Feminist Edge

My PLAYBILL got a little wrinkled in my totebag. No pun intended.

I treated Sis to see War Paint on Broadway for her bday—which was 6 months ago to the day. I had to wait til our schedules meshed and I had the money.

We had nosebleed seats, the very top row in the pretty powder box of a theater. They were just $59 each with a discount code [plus all those handling fees], but we could still see and hear everything just fine. Sis also used dainty binoculars.

The show was delicious, every detail, every feathered hat, every structured suit, every sparkling brooch. Every joke and every song, each and every reference to day cream, night cream, rouge, nail polish, perfume, lipstick, secret recipes invented on a stovetop. The story*, set in NYC from 1935 to 1964, spins on the long rivalry between beauty czars Elizabeth Arden [Christine Ebersole] and Helena Rubinstein [Patti LuPone]. And it shows their savvy business radar, their faith in every woman’s beauty and their odd, unregulated ingredient choices early on [mercury and lamb fat].

Miss Arden and Madame Rubinstein led us, brick by beautiful pink brick, on a road we never looked back on. And they worked so hard, they sacrificed a lot—Arden refers to embracing many pink makeup shades but missing out on baby pink as a mother and in a nursery. The two actresses and the songs they belt out are amazing and powerful. The performance is funny and touching. Too bad it’s closing in early November. Sis and I loved it.

It was moving to see two women who whipped up miracle creams to keep us looking dewy get older themselves—with a cane, a will, stooped posture, aging skin and hair—and a company takeover, because the board wants a younger figurehead. Magic creams can’t fight everything.

Good night. Better try and steal some beauty sleep.

*Brilliant storytelling. Per Wikipedia: War Paint is a musical with book by Doug Wright, music by Scott Frankel, and lyrics by Michael Korie, based both on Lindy Woodhead's 2004 book War Paint and on the 2007 documentary film "The Powder & the Glory," by Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman. 

Top 10 Reasons to Book This Train Ride

There's a pull between the stars.

Sis's friend and former boss at NYU--Dr. Nicole--got us great tix [$100 each with her member discount] to see the musical "On the Twentieth Century" on 42nd Street last night. I don't think I've ever been so close to the stage in an orchestra seat.

The story is set in 1932 on a luxury train ride from Chicago to New York. The locomotive is named the Twentieth Century. 

Top 10:

1. Kristin Chenoweth. Petite [4'11"] and pretty with a voice ringing like a bell on a clear June day. A tiny powerhouse, funny and sassy and enchanting from the moment she runs down the aisle and onto the stage. She plays Lily with great acting, dancing and charisma. I read that the actress is a proud native of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and was adopted. As a foster mom to Punchy, that interests me, I loved her in the 2015 animated movie "Strange Magic"--she did the voice of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Magical and sweet.

2. Peter Gallagher. You know him from 1989's "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" and "American Beauty." Still as handsome, with that bad-boy edge that you can't quite put your finger on. I knew he could act but the singing and dancing were delicious surprises.

3. Mary Louise Wilson. She co-wrote and starred in "Full Gallop," the one-woman show about Diana Vreeland; it was fabulous. But here she plays Mrs. Primrose, a Bible-thumping old lady on the train. She nearly steals the show; hilarious.

4. "She's a Nut," "Five Zeros" and other great songs that sweep you up, gather you in and leave you laughing and clapping madly. Your troubles are forgotten.

5. The fashions and accessories. Lily's marabou trimmed high-heel slippers; stacks of colorful luggage; ladies' hems that hit the lower calf--1932. Oh, so that's the length my grandmothers wore in the thirties, I thought.

6. Period props. A manual typewriter; battered Bible; and black doctor's bag.

7. The porters. Four young men who sing witty songs and tap dance to beat the band.

8. Lily's hunk. Her movie costar is dumb as a doughnut but so funny.

9. The train details. Puffs of steam, compartment doors and fancy seats, a big train and a little train in two different scenes.

10. The feeling you take home. That Broadway's magic is alive and well. That some people have talent that glitters so much it truly can light up the night. That the power to entertain is a gift to behold. That these people love their jobs. And TBH, as foster mom to Punchy, I thought about the dazzling star's adoptive parents, how they must have spotted her skills and nurtured them, how proud they must be.

Tickets, tickets please!

Curtains: A Delicate Balance

Sis got tix for this Bway play by Edward Albee [1966] starring Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Martha Plimpton. Serious, withering, funny, sad. And excellent stage set of well-appointed suburban home. Ms. Close is a silver fox with a sharp tongue. Good night. 

Curtains: Ann

A great one-woman show playing now.

Sis got tickets for "Ann," the one-woman show written by and starring Holland Taylor, the wonderful actress who played Elle's tough, master-of-the-withering-look law professor in "Legally Blonde" and plays the mother in TV's "Two and a Half Men."

The play was at the Vivian Beaumont Theater @ Lincoln Center. I loved it. I haven't paid Sis for the ticket yet, but I will.

My love list:

• Dinner first @ Cafe Fiorello on Broadway & 64th. So good. This is one of Sis's favorite restaurants, especially when she goes to the Metropolitan Opera. We had excellent bread, crisp white wine and shared fried artichokes, tagliatelle bolognese and claypot red snapper livornese. I felt so civilized and so pampered. And when you walk out, help yourself to matzoh dipped in dark chocolate and strewn with dried cranberries. [They vary the sweets for your parting treat.] Need I say more.
• The play! Getting to know Ann Richards. I loved seeing the way she wove dedication to her four children--she divorced after a long marriage--with fearless, fast-talking, hard-hitting talent and skill as governor of Texas. Ann's working relationship with her secretary [whose voice we hear offstage] is such a great slice of life. The show also addresses Ann's alcoholism, and her AA road to recovering. That really caught my ear. I have such a struggle of my own [though not with alcohol] and the idea that this woman of stature tackled her addiction and was in recovery leaves me with even greater admiration. This is an up-close and personal look at a woman of power with a golden heart--calling her kids to arrange a family vacation and talk about who's bringing the ham, the turkey, the pies. Reminded me of Dad calling me at work, to talk about the Thanksgiving turkey. I miss Dad.
• My Sis! I miss her. Our mom is gone, but we have each other. And that always hits me hard when I sit next to Sis in a darkened NYC theatre. Our mom was all about culture, taking us to the opera, ballet, etc. Our mother surely saw us in ways that we don't see each other.....I wish we could know.....I lost her at age 20. Sis was 27.

Going to bed more cultured.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Bought some healthy groceries--oranges, apples, feta, strawberries.
2. Did some stairs in NYC, up and down the subway steps.
3. Savored sister time.

Mamma Mia, I Love You!!

"Mamma Mia!"--where have you been all my life? Open on Broadway since 2001, I didn't see it till tonight.

It's Broadway Week--tickets were half price, and Figgy and I had great orchestra seats for $67 each. It was the best Broadway show I've ever seen, now even topping "Tru," the one-man show about Truman Capote.

The costumes...the singing...the story....the cast....the audience. We were all up on our feet and dancing in front of our seats for the encore. [I was glad Fig didn't see the tears in the corner of my eyes when the cast belted out one last version of "Dancing Queen"--the words "only seventeen" got to me, as Fig is that age, and we are all only 17 once. Where does it go? Why must it go?] When the mom, Donna, sings "Slipping through My Fingers," which starts with the words "school bag in hand" and remembers her little girl going off to school, I was also pressing a rumpled tissue to my eyes.

I loved the colors--the turquoise and white island beach dress, the swimsuit with pareo, the gold sandals, the aqua shirts and skirts, the wedding dress and veil.....I loved the humor, the laughter, the lyrics.....and the old, ornate Winter Garden Theatre, with fleur-de-lis motifs, flowers, urns and other storybook details on the panels, balconies and trim.

Afterwards, we walked to 47th and Broadway to the Roxy Delicatessen. I've drooled in front of its windows at giant cheesecakes and chocolate-dipped pastries for years, and tonight was the first time I went in. We each ordered cheesecake--the slices were huge [we brought part home], and $9.95 each. [I know, a splurge, and I'm about to jot it in my budget ledger, which is actually a pink Moleskine notebook.] Not quite as good as Junior's Most Fabulous Cheesecake, but Figgy really liked the strawberry-topped slice. Brought back memories of one lunch hour long ago when my friend Candy and I ventured into the famed Carnegie Deli on Seventh Avenue and shared a giant piece of cake.

What a happy night. And H., who didn't want to go anyway and was playing poker in the city, drove us in and out [which also saved almost $30 in round trip bus fare].

Tomorrow, I'm pulling out my "Mamma Mia!" movie soundtrack CD.  Can't wait...."Super Trouper," "Dancing Queen," "The Winner Takes It All," "Take a Chance on Me," and "I Have a Dream." I hope it's where I think it is. Last time around, H. and Figgy got sick of me playing it so much. Sweet dreams.

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen   --Abba

TCOY

1. Rested. I didn't go to boot camp, and I hate skipping boot camp, but felt like I was getting sick and didn't want to miss the show tonight.
2. Reached out to magazine editors to touch base for work: Brett, Janet, Donna, Jennifer and Maria. That makes five. Sent links to clips. Got some good feedback, possible assignments.