TTO - Review and Summary of "Tracey Ullman

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Tracey Ullman - Live and Exposed

By Roger Reini

Originally written May 17, 2005

Let me get this out of the way right off: Tracey Ullman – Live And Exposed is fantastic! Now for a few details.

In her new HBO special, Tracey starts things off by singing her “hit”, “They Don’t Know,” which is only fitting because that song introduced her to America. She then takes us through the major events of her life, from the death of her father when she was six to the nightly shows she would give in her mother’s bedroom, from her years at stage school to performing in Gigi in Berlin, from too much exposure in Blackpool to triumph on the London stage, from the hit parade to coming to America, from marriage to children – from then to now.

Along the way, we get to meet some of the people who made an impression on her, those who became the inspiration for many of her characters. There’s the office clerk we recognize as Kay Clark, the Long Island matron we know as Fern Rosenthal, the airline stewards who inspired Trevor Ayliss, the obnoxious cab drivers we know as Chic, and the extremely veteran Hollywood makeup artists we recognize as Ruby Romaine. Especially enjoyable is a sequence where Tracey talks to her wigs, who answer back in character and eventually start arguing with each other.

For those of you who enjoy her singing, you are in for a definite treat, for she sings three songs in the special: “They Don’t Know” (twice), “Breakaway”, and “My Guy”. This last song is not her British single from 1984; it’s the Mary Wells Motown hit, and she sings it in character as a born-again lounge singer from a 1980 play.

If you are a major fan of Tracey’s, you will like Live And Exposed. You’ll enjoy the chance to revisit familiar characters whom we haven’t seen for some time, and you’ll learn a lot about what made Tracey who she is today. If you’re only a casual fan, then it may be a bit too much for you – or maybe not.

SUMMARY -- coming soon