Show review: “Laugher and Reflection with Carol Burnett”

Updated 12:39 p.m., October 2, 2006

by Christopher Sandlin

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Eight years after she participated in the opening show of Forth Worth’s Bass Performance Hall, legendary comedian Carol Burnett returned to Bass Hall for “Laugher and Reflection with Carol Burnett,” a uniquely intimate event where the audience was in charge of asking the questions.

The stage was bare except for a stool, a small table and microphone, and that’s all Burnett needed to command the audience’s attention. Now 73 years old, Burnett still has all the stage presence and comedic spunk that rocketed her to fame in the 1950s as a series regular on The Garry Moore Show and, later, her own Carol Burnett Show. The Bass Hall performance took the form of a simple question-and-answer session, but was interspersed with video clips and anecdotes from Burnett’s myriad appearances on television, stage and film. At many points the questions became a platform from which audience members lofted their undying admiration for Burnett. Other questioners self-servingly asked for autographs or a chance to dance on the stage with her. Burnett accepted it all with the utmost graciousness – one audience member chose not to ask a question but, rather, to thank her for “staying classy” for all these years.

Burnett was, of course, asked to do her renowned Tarzan yell, and she’s still got it. She stood at the side of the stage as the lights dimmed and classic video clips played from The Carol Burnett Show, including sketches and songs. Many of the people featured in the clips have since passed away (Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, Ethyl Merman and Ella Fitzgerald to name a few), and it’s a testament to Burnett’s talent and longevity that she still has such a precious gift for captivating audiences. Her audience was as diverse as her career – old and young, gay and straight. After all, who wouldn’t see the humor in the “Went with the Wind” sketch when Burnett puts on a regal air and descends the stairs in a dress haphazardly made out of gaudy window drapes? The best moments of the show were when Burnett told intimate stories about her career and how her characters came to be, such as the notorious Mrs. Wiggins character (who Burnett said was never visited by the IQ fairy), a backstage visit from Lucille Ball after Burnett’s Broadway debut, how she discovered future co-star Vicki Lawrence in a Miss Fireball contest, and a poignant letter from a 10-year-old hopeful comedian named Jim Carrey.