Before "Hamilton," I saw Renee Elise Goldsberry in "Two Gentlemen of Verona," "Good People," "The Color Purple," and "Rent." This wasn't by design. She just kept popping up. She was consistently a standout--she earned an Outer Critics Circle nomination for "Good People." But--if she had stopped--no one would have cared.
That's what fascinates me about the arts. You really need a will of steel. After Sondheim flopped with "Merrily We Roll Along," he considered quitting. And his agent said, "Sure. Stop writing--literally no one will lose sleep over that."
The new film about Goldsberry--"Satisfied"--isn't very good. At times, Goldsberry is so goopy-celestial that she seems to be doing self-parody; she seems to be playing Wickie from "Girls5eva." The documentary does that annoying thing where the star is asked to "recreate" a pivotal moment, and we're all forced to pretend that we're not watching a "reenactment." (A magical camera appears on a subway car and watches Goldsberry as she prepares for her "Hamilton" audition. So "wild"! She is learning the song on the subway!)
But there is a moment I like. Goldsberry's laconic husband--who is *not* Hollywood-groomed--finally begins to speak. He recalls the slow-motion realization that I am dating someone who has a real talent. And a song he dwells on is "African Homeland"--an embarrassing, clunky number from "The Color Purple." (It's the kind of number that Tina Fey might spoof on "Girls5eva.") This is a song that only "the husband" would love. And so it's part of a touching "kitchen counter" scene.
Nerd that I am, I want more details. Anika Noni Rose was dropped from "Hamilton"--how on Earth did this happen? Exactly *why* did Lin-Manuel Miranda take so long to make the Broadway "offer" to Goldsberry? And could we hear about "Good People"? Could we hear about Frances McDormand?
But I'll take what I can get. A moderately diverting film.
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