OFFBEAT: Carrie Fisher's 'Wishful Drinking' an entertaining journey

Like so many others, I waited patiently for the arrival of the Broadway in Chicago run of actress Carrie Fisher's critically praised one-woman show "Wishful Drinking."

Originally planned for last April, the scheduling was pushed back and this week it finally started its two-week run through Oct. 16 at Bank of America Theatre in Chicago.

Described as "Fisher's autobiographical solo show," it follows Fisher's personal life.

Born to celebrity parents, Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Carrie found herself even more surrounded by stars later in life, when at age 20, she was picked to play the iconic Princess Leia for the 1977 movie "Star Wars."

And during her stage show, she emphasizes her story isn't all that ideal.

As a single mom, she's battled addiction, depression and mental institutions. She uses plenty of humor in her performances, both light and dark, from offering commentary about what she calls "that awful hyperspace hairdo" to sharing incredible tales of how her father left her mother for Elizabeth Taylor. Carrie also talks about her marriage and divorce to singer/songwriter Paul Simon.

Fisher first launched "Wishful Drinking" in 2006 and she's performed it around the world, including Australia.

While waiting to see it live on stage, I already had the benefit of watching the TV special version of "Wishful Drinking" on HBO last December.

According to Fisher, that TV special of her stage show was actually taped in June 2010 at the South Orange Performing Arts Center in New Jersey, with the HBO producers filming multiple nights of her show and then editing together the best parts for the two-hour special.

So what's obviously missing from the HBO version (since it was taped more than a year ago) are references to the fact her famous father Eddie Fisher died Sept. 22 at age 82, as well as any mention of Taylor's death at age 79 on March 23. Add to that the scoop of her attending her mother's amazing multimillion auction of film memorabilia and costumes in June.

And let's not forget, she also has even more fodder to pad out her performance since dropping more than 30 pounds as the new celebrity spokeswoman for Jenny Craig Weight-Loss.

However, there really isn't any of this addressed, except for the casual mention that her father died and she's dropped some weight (not even a mention of the name of the weight-loss company, for which I applaud).

In fact, what you see on stage is pretty much a carbon copy of the TV special, without the benefit of some of the tightened editing to keep ideas and stories moving along.

By Fishers' own admission, she likes to talk and can tend to ramble, even flirting with moments of random stream of consciousness. And don't we all have those moments? But in the case of a stage conversation such as her format, it can cloud the experience and messages.

Still, Fisher's life and journey are nothing short of remarkable and she's earned every bow and applause. She's a gifted storyteller and conversationalist and there are always entertaining moments around every corner (of her mind). Coupled with her impeccable timing and facial expressions, she's a worthy guide for two hours of both breezy and biting life lessons.

Tickets for "Wishful Drinking" range from $25 to $65 at (800) 775-2000 or BroadwayInChicago.com.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or (219) 852-4327.