What: Playwrights Horizons presents Anna K. Jacobs and Michael R. Jackson's new musical adaptation of Mitchell Lichtenstein's film, about a subject I'm worried will get my blog flagged (wheeeeeee).
And? This has great potential. The cast is fantastic, led by Alyse Alan Louis, who also costarred in Jackson's White Girl in Danger at Second Stage. The songs are catchy, though I think they need a few steps further to elevate them to their full potential (a few songs have a chorus that's show-stopping hilarity when it first hits, but doesn't push the joke further so the laughter dies out as the song goes on). However, I don't think the show currently has the right director. I've seen Sarah Benson's exceptional directing work at at TFANA with both Fairview and An Octoroon, but right now the performance isn't matching the degree of camp that the script wants to deliver. I also don't think it's currently staged that effectively. I look forward to seeing this show continue to develop, and become what it is surely destined to be. (and if the subject matter--revenge predicated on sexual assault--isn't for me, that doesn't invalidate that it's a worthy show that should be seen)
Jenna Rose Husli, Wren Rivera, Alyse Alan Louis, Phoenix Best, and Helen J. Shen as Trisha, Stephanie, Dawn, Fiona, and Keke. Photo by Chelcie Parry. |
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