‘Wishful Drinking’ proves a bit hard to swallow

Carrie Fisher dishes her life and Hollywood times in solo show

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

BROADWAY REVIEW

No doubt she is paving the way for "Britney on Broadway," so I suppose one has to take somewhat seriously Carrie Fisher and her solo confessional "Wishful Drinking," which opened Sunday at Studio 54 under the auspices of Roundabout Theatre Company.

Genially dishing the dirt on a bi-polar life of substance abuse and tabloid agony that began when she was a waif featured in the Debbie Reynolds-Eddie Fisher-Elizabeth Taylor scandal, Fisher details her subsequent adventures as Princess Leia on the "Star Wars" set, her rocky 12-year romance with Paul Simon, her several times in rehab and even about that morning when she woke up with a dead man in her bed.

Sporting silk pajamas, Fisher rambles around barefoot while amiably chatting about the troubles she's seen. Noting that anyone over 40 should be considered a survivor, Fisher proceeds to illuminate how — given the proper perspective, mind — even the most tragic circumstances have their funny side.

Fisher's brightest bit in this nearly two-hour discourse is a clever blackboard accounting of Hollywood inbreeding among three generations and two dozen individuals. Another episode wryly describes the creation of Princess Leia, coiled hair-do, English accents and all (plus the character's merchandizing aftermath), complete with George Lucas' theory of why there's no underwear in outer space. Too often, however, Fisher's material is sordid personal stuff regurgitated as humor.

For all of the ostensible wisdom of Fisher's mature perceptions of her struggles, who really gives a hoot about such essentially trashy stories?

Still, anyone intrigued sufficiently by celebrity tittle-tattle to purchase a $111.50 ticket to "Wishful Drinking" will discover Fisher for the most part to be a bawdy, sardonic raconteur. Like an outrageous dinner guest who may be lots of laughs at first but turns rather tedious as the evening wears on, Fisher overstays her welcome but at least you're glad to have met her.

"Wishful Drinking" continues through Jan.3 at Studio 54, 254 W. 54th St., New York. Call (212) 719-1300 or visit www.roundabouttheatre.org.