Draped shoulders to toes in shiny swirls on black falling as if from epaulettes, she might be Kate Smith imparting Irving Berlin's blessing of America. Carol A. Provonsha's voice is bit higher and hair blonder, though. The cascades of cloth turn out to be drapes when returned to her entrance arch. But Kate is definitely Provonsha's model in the sense of her inspiration as a performer of size. And of sex? As a Catholic schoolgirl, Provonsha -- whose mother costumed drag queens and brother was one -- met Sophie Tucker and also saw Mae West in person. She now does imitations of both, phrasing a know-it-all "Some of These Days" perfectly and flipping at her hair while looking slightly bored as "Mae" crisps or lisps "My Old Flame."
"Mean to Me" catches Nell Carter's tone and pained expression. When Carol sings Mama Cass' "Make Your Own Kind of Music," she makes it hers. She also gives the lie to tabloid accounts of Cass' death.
Between numbers, Carol Provonsha gives glimpses of how her size has affected her life. Her skit, "Conversations with a Fat Lady," has answers for all the common remarks of thinner people. But her most personal comments register more poignantly to make the concluding half of her show best. As for her music, the funniest song is a parody of a later-day Liza Minnelli belting, "What good is eating alone in your room? Life is a big buffet!" A medley of show tunes she's done and another of hits by Band Girls like Rosemary Clooney and Peggy Lee round out an unabashed celebration of a big gal's big voice.
