With the History Theatre’s “I Am Betty,” Cristina Luzarraga (book, additional lyrics) and Denise Prosek (music, lyrics) gave themselves the ambitious task of tracing 100 years of feminism through the lens of Betty Crocker.
Audiences gave the original musical a gold star when it debuted last year, ensuring its sophomore run at the St. Paul theater, which opened the show Saturday. While it’s not quite the slam dunk that is the History Theatre’s hilarious “Glensheen,” the affable “I Am Betty” feels like the type of show that will draw crowds well into the future.
A terrific ensemble of nine women — all but one returning from the original production — portray a series of characters, both male and female, in the string of vignettes that fuel the show.
“I Am Betty” opens in 1921 with the creation of the fictional character Betty Crocker, a savvy and helpful homemaker who signs all the letters returned to customers of Minneapolis’ Washburn-Crosby Company seeking cooking tips and tricks. The first act is centered around Marjorie Husted (Erin Capello), a field rep for the company, which later became General Mills.
Husted took the Betty Crocker concept and ran with it, heading a department of 40 staffers dubbed the Betty Crocker Homemaking Service. In addition to responding to customers’ questions, Husted began to expand the Betty Crocker concept when Washburn-Crosby Company purchased a struggling local radio station, which it renamed WCCO. Husted hosted a radio show under the Betty Crocker guise that soon spread around the country.
From there, the Betty Crocker brand expanded to include cookbooks, new product innovations (Betty Crocker cake mixes, Bisquick), a series of advertisements with Hollywood stars (Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow) and a push to standardize measurements and pan and pot sizes in an effort to make the art of cooking easier and more consistent.
Just how large did Betty Crocker loom over American homes? In 1945, Fortune magazine named Betty Crocker the second most popular woman in America after Eleanor Roosevelt.
The second act focuses on Barbara Jo Davis (Lynnea Doublette), a young Black woman who grew up wanting to be Betty Crocker. Like Husted, Davis pushed the company to further success with fresh ideas and innovations. She also helped Ken Davis launch his barbecue sauce line, became his wife and, after his death, took over the company.
Throughout the show, “I Am Betty” explores the push-and-pull of the role of women in society, with forays into the World War II era and the second wave of feminism. (“The Feminine Mystique” author Betty Friedan shows up as a character who debates Davis.)
The first act unfolds at a leisurely pace that, at times, feels repetitive. That leads to an overstuffed second act that comes across as rushed. The approachable music helps matters greatly, particularly the first act anthem “Something More” and the disco song that tells the story of Hamburger Helper. (The garish ’80s pop/rock number “Just Add an Egg” is one of the few musical missteps.)
Despite its occasional flaws, “I Am Betty” offers an entertaining and insightful take on feminism that’s expertly staged and full of laughs, including a killer visual gag near the end of the show. Expect to leave armed with some fresh knowledge of social history and, most likely, a hunger for a plate of piping hot biscuits.
‘I Am Betty’
When: Through Dec. 29
Where: History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul
Tickets: $74-$48; 651-292-4323 or historytheatre.com
Capsule: This tasty slice of homegrown history feels like a new holiday tradition.
Related Articles
Theater review: Latte Da meets Rodgers and Hammerstein with Broadway’s ‘Cinderella’ refresh
Theater Latte Da’s ‘Cinderella’ is its first foray into the work of Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
This touring production of ‘Les Miserables’ is worth seeing
Theater review: Guthrie’s 50th ‘Christmas Carol’ feels like a celebration
Review: Children’s Theatre makes ‘Grinch’ a transformative tale
Leave a Reply