So many things went wrong during one of the press nights for the revival of this comedy directed by Michael Bush, I thought perhaps we were seeing Noises Off (a show about a problem-plagued theater company) instead of Cactus Flower. Star Maxwell Caulfield struggled with his lines (messing up one bit at the beginning about a stewardess that should have had a pay-off at the very end), a music cue blared into action too soon, and some props clattered around. You might be tempted to dismiss this comedy as a tired work that was dated when it opened 35 years ago; it should have been left on the shelf instead of (finally) being revived for the first significant production in New York, right? Except for one notable exception.
I'd heard of the show but never saw it or the film adaptation. It certainly has a terrific pedigree. Cactus Flower was adapted from a French play by Abe Burrows (who should get a much happier revival with How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying). In it, a dentist tells his ditsy but sweet girlfriend that he's married so she won't get serious. When he gets serious, his nurse has to pretend to be his wife to reassure the girl she's no home-wrecker. It's no surprise that the nurse loves her dentist and the nebbishy writer next door (Jeremy Bobb) loves the kooky girl. Complications ensue. Somehow, it was a smash hit and ran for more than 1200 performances. Lauren Bacall and Brenda Vaccaro starred, but they were both shafted when it became a film and their roles were played by Ingrid Bergman (such a great comedianne!) and Goldie Hawn, who won an Oscar, though even the trailer for the film is quite leaden. The film was a smash hit too; one of the big hits of 1969/1970.
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