There's an old saying: "Well-behaved women rarely make history." That may explain why, a century after she emerged in the public eye, singer and actress Sophie Tucker remains in the books as an important forerunner of brassy broads in the entertainment biz. Before rock queen Courtney Love was flipping off shutterbugs, before pop star Madonna was promoting the female crotch-grab, and even before Hollywood icon Marlene Dietrich was donning a tux and smooching women on the silver screen, Tucker was raising eyebrows and making tongues wag over her risqué acts and bawdy sense of humor. In the early 1900s, Tucker began her career as a vaudeville entertainer, often performing in blackface (an idea she later said was forced upon her by managers who hoped it might distract from her heft and homeliness). But she was able to ditch that offensive act once her gift for music and comedy became apparent, and audiences started to appreciate her knack for embracing self-parody (one of her most popular songs was "Nobody Loves a Fat Girl, But Oh How a Fat Girl Can Love") and her taboo-busting assertions of female sexuality and independence. (Another then-naughty Tucker song was "I'm Living Alone and I Like It.") Paying homage to the influential entertainer is
Sophie Tucker: The Last of the Red Hot Mamas, a one-woman show from
New Repertory Theatre titled after the performer's enduring nickname. Regaling audiences as Tucker is actress Mary Callanan, herself an established fixture on the Hub's theater scene. Given the rep she's earned on local stages and the New England cabaret circuit, we have full faith that Callanan will do justice to the famous bits and infamous musical numbers that put Tucker on the map - and down in history - as a Hot Mama matriarch to generations of misbehaving women. The show runs from June 24 through July 11 at the
Arsenal Center for the Arts (321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, 617.923.8487). For tickets ($39-$49) and show times, visit
newrep.org.
