Both Christian and Shawn are classmates, good friends, collaborators from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. We were part of Cycle 11 who graduated in 2002.
dctheatrescene.com says:
Bouncing Ball Theatrical Productions Director Shirley Serotsky and Book writer Shawn Northrip joined forces with composer and lyricist Christian Imbodenn to create a zany love letter to musicals, parodying The Producers, Guys and Dolls, Annie, Gypsy, Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s Mirette, and some others I probably forgot.
The creators describe It Closed on Opening Night as “a revival of the 1977 Broadway belly-flop When I Just Can’t Say It Anymore, The Musical!”, in which a showgirl misses her chance to leave the stage and lead a decent life. Plagued by multiple book writers, overzealous producers, and a fading diva, Just Can’t Say It proves “nothing is scarier than a bad musical.” Closed, however, is on a very good start down the road to becoming a really good musical. The music is hummable and tap-able, and the lyrics are funny and silly. At times there may be too many recurring references to male and female body parts, but I must admit I did laugh at this: “Let’s go to my place\You can sit on my face/I don’t bite/I’ll help you through the night”.
Who couldn’t love a musical that had these song titles: “Get Yer Hands Off My Horn”. “Legs”, “Babies Suck”, “Ladies Love The Stocking Man”, “Get Yer Hands Off My Corn”, “It Happens Quickly In New York”, and “Awkwardly Going To Heaven”? What’s there not to like? It doesn’t “hoyt” when you have a great cast having a great time, and what a cast we saw! Michael John Casey played Roger, the inept artistic director. Tim Lynch was the nebbishy Simon the composer, whose claim to fame is being known for writing the musical version of Jaws called Shark Attack. Pistol Lauren Williams made you want to strangle her Netta – the mother who hated being a mother, who loved herself and money more than her kid. Michael Grew played the guy with the big heart ever so sweetly, while Amy Kellett looked properly clueless as Abigale, the talentless daughter, and tap dancer from hell, who likes to “singa, singa, singa and dance, dance, dance!” Katie Molinaro and Toni Rae Brotons – playing a housewife and Gabriella – rounded out the excellent cast.
But, it’s Matthew A. Anderson, this week receiving raves from all the local critics, including DCTS’s Steven McKnight, for his outrageous performance in MetroStage’s The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), who burns up the stage as the pimp-ish bully Paulie. His trumpet playing in “Get Yer Hands Off My Horn” is so outrageous that it sets the mood for the rest of the show. We know then that we are in for a crazy ride.
Where else could you hear a song where “loin of pork” rhymes with “New York”, or a show that ends with, “To heaven!/To heaven!/Together to heaven!/We’re only a day away”? With some workshops, and some more development, this show could run way past opening night!
No comments:
Post a Comment