DC Theatre Reviews
The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!
Reviewed by Gary McMillan
April 18, 2007
Will you listen to that?
That’s the sound of an audience losing
its mind!
It’s the Pope on his balcony, blessing
mankind!
Folks, it’s Funny
Girl, Fiddler and Dolly combined!
It’s a hit! It’s a hit!
It’s a palpable hit!
– Stephen
Sondheim, Merrily We Roll Along
The Musical of Musicals: The Musical! (MoMM) is a gem and Metro Stage has
gifted the DC metropolitan area with this premiere polished, sparkling jewel of
a production. While unabashedly targeted to musical theater aficionados, even
folks who refer to cast recordings as "soundtracks" (eeeuw!) will howl with laughter at this swift-paced,
wonderfully performed confection.
Start with a love triangle of sorts, add a
trite crisis (can’t pay the mortgage/rent), set to music, and stir frequently.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Joanne Bogart (lyrics) and Eric Rockwell
(music) share credit for the concept and book: how would acknowledged legends
of the genre – Rodgers & Hammerstein, Sondheim, Herman, Lloyd-Webber and Kander & Ebb – play out this scenario? While political
satire often shines brightest when its subject/object is, shall we say,
bush-league dying, dying, deathly, doornail dead dim (where is that line
from?), theater satire (musical and otherwise) requires solid source material
to parody, or why bother? Bogart & Rockwell lovingly chose their musical
victims wisely. This show will appeal to people who enjoy Off-Broadway’s Forbidden Broadway (and Tom Orr’s
wickedly subversive, Dirty Little Showtunes), but MoMM is not
parody lyrics set to actual show tunes. As theatre satire, it’s more akin to
the loving jabs delivered in Mel Brooks’ The
Producers and Eric Idle’s Spamalot. It is new music
written in the vernacular of the composers being spoofed. At times, very, very,
very, very, very closely in the style of these masters, which clearly reveals
Rockwell’s knowledge of, and affection for, their work.
You will not find specifics here about what
makes the show outstanding. This is a "spoiler" free zone. You will
not read a punch line here; I won’t reveal specific sight gags. In addition to
a hearty, good, long laugh, audiences deserve the joy of surprise. So I will
not burst that bubble.
Allison Campbell’s set has to serve five
productions. Her elegant solution is to provide a backstage backdrop: along the
back wall, a clock, a low rail for costume items, a rail above with various
kinds of chairs hung on pegs, a classic theatrical, lighted makeup mirror; a
shelf of shoes, hats, and handbags; and a ladder, platforms and staircases to
provide depth and a variety of performance focal points, with the piano
claiming the left side of the stage. Costume changes are made on the fly. Erin
Nugent has chosen just the right pieces of clothing – vests, shawls, hats,
capes, and the like – to help the actors establish their characters quickly.
Dan Kazemi is
credited as musical director/pianist. That he is, but he is also a part of this
ensemble, lending his very nice voice, wry humor and quirky smile to the
transitional moments before, between and after the five shows. And I can only
imagine the smug smiles all around Metro Stage when the four principal cast
members were signed.
Janine Gulisano-Sunday
shines in the ingénue roles. Beauty, grace, charm, and bite (when required).
From Belle (Beauty and the Beast) to
shrew (Kiss Me, Kate), Gulisano-Sunday has proven her versatility. She’s in
fabulous form here in parts from callow and shallow, to crass and coarse.
Russell Sunday exploded on my radar in another
show at Metro Stage, a musical review of songs by Maltby
& Shire, Closer Than Ever. He had a pop/rock-inspired show
tune, "What Am I Doin’" (Up on a Roof)? It
is, perhaps, the only song in musical theatre history blatantly about what we
now consider "stalking" (as opposed to premeditated vengeance of the
Sweeney Todd variety), and Sunday was stunning, ricocheting between confusion
and obsession, as his rich voice soared and roared. It was one of those very
rare occasions when I wished musical theatre fans were like opera lovers. Stop
the show and make him sing it again, and again, and again. I later bought the
cast recording of the original Off-Broadway production, but it didn’t have the
spark of Sunday and the rest of Metro Stage’s cast. The Sundays, Janine and
Russell, are firing on all cylinders here, so be prepared for serious fun and
vocal bliss.
Bobby Smith’s press kit reveals that his right
upper lift and left eyebrow are ensured by Lloyd’s of London for $100 million
each. Sorry, I made that up. (I’m still trying to sell him the policy.) He’s a
master of deadpan understatement. Here he plays the heavies, a villainous pack
from sinister to the ridiculous. He’s Jud and Sweeney and Phantom. Wait til you hear him tackle a
Sondheim-inspired, alliterative, tongue-twisting tune. His performance
will kill you.
And then there’s Donna. Donna Migliaccio. Donna, Donna baby, Donna bubbie,
Hello, Donna! Donna M. is unquestionably a force of nature in musical theatre.
In MoMM, Migliaccio plays a broad range of characters, leading and
supporting, and embodies each with her genius. I first saw the show on Sunday
(press night). Donna blazed through so many 11 o’clock songs,
I had no idea what day of the week it was when the show was over. Her comedy is
simply fearless which gives her performance here an exciting edge. Just how far
will she go?
Larry Kaye’s direction keeps the show moving
at full clip, framing each scene for maximum comic effect. Nancy Harry’s choreography
is cracked. Cracked corn. After seeing her demented DeMille dream ballet, you’ll probably never be able to
watch
It is really tempting to reveal just how
clever the dialog and lyrics are or to describe some of the zanier moments that
have the audience roaring with laughter. But let’s talk after you see the
show!