Dolli Dimples II
Released: November 1982
Review by: Zlataisawesome
Show Segments
“Fever”
“Rock A Bye Pasqually”
“Come on get Happy / Side by Side”
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game”
“Tea for Two / Tiptoe Through the Tulips”
“Beautiful Baby / Babyface”
“My Heart Belongs to Daddy / Daddy”
“I Got Rhythm / When You’re Smiling”
“Mr. Sandman / Dream Lover”
“You Do Something to Me / I’m Looking Over a Four-Leafed Clover”
“Ain’t Nobody’s Business / I’ve Gotta Be Me”
“While Strolling Through the Park One Day / Jeepers Creepers / Them There Eyes”
“Don’t Fence Me In / I’m an Old Cowhand”
This is Dolli’s second showtape, released in November 1982. It's safe to assume that they used this tape until the 1990s since there is footage of Dolli performing around that time. Her original "portrait" animatronic was replaced by an ottoman-style (Cyberamic) animatronic; unfortunately, very few of these models are around today. Noticeably enough, they toned her innuendos down, but there are a few moments in the showtape where she *tries* to flirt with the audience.
Husband References - There are multiple references to her husbands throughout the show segments, such as Nolan (Don't Fence Me In), Gene (You Do Something to Me), and Joe (Fever).
The Chosen One - Since Pizza Time Theatre wanted to make a second showtape for either Artie Antlers or Dolli, they ultimately chose the latter since she was more popular.
Smaller Selection - This tape has 13 segments compared to the 20 segments the previous one had; it's debatable whether there are missing segments.
Voice Actress - Lady Bianca voices this tape, previously voicing Sally Sashay; the voice actors didn't work for the company and were called in when available.
Callbacks to a Character - Since Lady Bianca voiced Sally, it's a coincidence that a few songs on this tape are the same songs Sally sang when she performed. Tracks include "Rock A Bye [Baby]", "Mr. Sandman", and "Jeepers Creepers".
Interactions with the Main Crew - Dolli references Pasqually in "Rock-A-Bye Pasqually", dedicating the entire segment to him. It's interesting since it's an unexpected character that Dolli would reference, but they're both very similar, so it's obvious why she'd dedicate the song to him.
- 3 out of 5 Tokens -
The Piano Lounge characters never cannot make me get down and boogie; however, this tape failed to meet my expectations. Sure, some songs made me want to move a bit (such as Come On Get Happy); unfortunately, most of them were bland. It doesn't fit Dolli's flirtatious personality and does her dirty in this tape. I feel like Lady Bianca could've done better with her voicing since her vocal range is impressive; like she wasn't allowed to fully shine like she did in the Sally tapes, which is disappointing. Had Donna come back to voice the hippo, the whole show would have been so much better.
As previously mentioned, Dolli's innuendos were toned down by a lot. She flirts with the audience, yet it's barely shown; when attempted, it is botched. Maybe it was due to the parents being upset that the previous show had scattered jokes and flirtatious remarks in the segments, but it's Dolli we're talking about - she IS the largest (no pun intended) flirt in the whole theatre. There's a lack of interaction between the other characters in the PTT universe in this tape, especially since the Cabaret characters are known for referencing the main four (five?) and outside characters; I wish that this show could have referenced more characters because Dolli's perspective on the characters is super interesting. I feel Pasqually's segment was out of character for her, but I appreciate the reference to the chef nonetheless. As much as I'm glad we have more Dolli content, this tape could've been better, especially with her previous show being one of the best Pizza Time Theatre showtapes out there.
Although I'm heavily criticizing this tape, I don't think this showtape is necessarily bad, but mediocre, simply average. The first Dolli tape was so amazing that the second show had the bar set high, so I can see the reason why it's so flawed in the first place. Lady Bianca is a fantastic voice actress; I love hearing her sing, I appreciate the effort she put into the show, and it's a treat to listen to her. The music for the piano also sounds very good, the effort put into that should be appreciated. There are little piano solos at the end of every segment that is a neat touch to the character as if she's playing a small jingle before she leaves until the next token is inserted; I feel like the other cabaret characters should've had that tidbit as well.
Overall, it's an average tape. There are flaws to this show, but you have to understand that this was the year before things came crashing down for Pizza Time Theatre, so I appreciate the effort they put in. I wouldn't listen to this tape as background music as I normally do for other shows like Dolli I, but it's a nice tape to listen to from time to time. Again, I love Dolli, she's one of my favorites (I would put her as my favorite Cabaret character but that label goes to Artie), but this tape did her dirty; there are so many things that could be fixed but I'm extremely grateful that we have this tape nonetheless.
