REVIEW OF "TRACEY TAKES ON...": CHILDHOOD Feb. 24, 1997

by Roger Reini (rreini@wwnet.com)

This week, "Tracey Takes On..." looked at childhood -- and it was good. Now there's an understatement!

"Good"? How about "wonderful" or "brilliant"? Every sketch was fantastic, every characterization perfect. I challenge anyone to find fault in this episode.

In the first long sketch, we learn that Rayleen was lost as a child and raised by a pack of wild dingos, and we see what happens when she's found. During most of the sketch, we see Tracey (as Rayleen) acting like a dingo. The adult Rayleen is describing what was happening to her. A brilliant performance!

The other sketches featured Mrs. Noh Nang Ning telling us how important the circle has been in her life, and how that's found its fruition in the donut, and Trevor's boyhood in the north of England, and how his family learned that he was different.

Short bits: Janie Pillsworth tells us of her ordinary childhood; Chic describes what it was like for his family to sail into New York Harbor for the first time; HRH meets her former nanny; Sydney describes her active legal life as a youngster (suing just about anyone, including her own mother); and Ruby describes how she got into the motion picture business.

I give this episode 4 stars. It's easily just as good as the Las Vegas episode -- it might even be a bit better.

NEXT WEEK: 1976.

This review is Copyright 1997 R. W. Reini(rreini@wwnet.com)