|
Running time 1:45 -
one intermission The more you know about musicals, the funnier you will
find this spoof of formulas of some of the big Broadway composers and
lyricists of the past fifty or so years. If you know all of the major shows
of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd
Webber and Kander and Ebb, you will "get"
every gag in this fast paced, four person (plus pianist) send-up of those
shows. The fun isn't just in the puns, or in all the in-jokes embedded in the
material, however. The energy of the performers - all of whom you will
recognize if you do even some of your musical theatergoing in the Potomac
Region - and the pure cleverness of the concept add to the pleasure. And,
being a musical, there are many songs and dances which are staged with verve
and performed not only with affection for the material but with strong
musical talent as well. Originally, the piece was performed by a cast of four
with one doubling on the piano. Here, the piano is played by a fifth cast
member, Dan Kazemi who adds his own bright persona
to the mix. Storyline: One simple plot is performed "in the
style" of each of five major Broadway musical writers or teams. The plot
is that old standby of melodrama involving the young girl who can't pay the
rent, the evil landlord who would take advantage of her, the older and wiser
woman who provides advice and the young man who rushes to the rescue. The
show is done first in the style of Rodgers and Hammerstein (titled Corn!
- devotees of Eric
Rockwell and Joanne Bogart developed this affectionate but very funny
lampoon. They began their collaboration at the very heart of musical
appreciation: the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop which was established to
foster the development of new talent in the field. Nowhere could the
chemistry be more conducive to a hoot of a send-up of the genre. The show
first played the tiny off-Broadway space in the basement of a modern church,
the York Theatre on Under the
tight direction of Larry Kaye not a minute goes by without a visual, verbal
or musical gag, keeping the laughter flowing throughout. The young lovers are
real-life man and wife Janine Gulisano-Sunday and
Russell Sunday, who are often seen together on stage at Toby's Dinner Theatre
in The evil landlord is Bobby Smith who is just about as very
funny as he was as the snail in A Year With Frog and Toad at
Roundhouse a year ago, only this time he has more to do, and thus, gets even
more laughs. Speaking of laughs: Donna Migliaccio
is just about as funny as she has ever been in these mini-musicals, and that
is saying quite a lot. She's the "Aunt Eller" character in the |
