Valerie Harper saves Tallulah Bankhead from caricature, by Joe Dziemianowicz
Fetching in a satiny gown of dark blue (to match Bankhead's language), Harper sheds any trace of TV sidekick Rhoda Morgenstern. At times her outsize expressions and gestures skitter dangerously close to caricature, but between her smart instincts and Rob Ruggiero's direction she keeps her from going over the edge. She's never subtle, but she's always a hoot.