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March 6 - 22, 2009The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) is a musical about musicals! In this hilarious satire of musical theatre, one story becomes five delightful musicals, each written in the distinctive style of a different master of the form, from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Stephen Sondheim. The basic plot: June is an ingenue who can't pay the rent and is threatened by her evil landlord. Will the handsome leading man come to the rescue? The variations are: a Rodgers & Hammerstein version, set in Kansas in August, complete with a dream ballet; a Sondheim version, featuring the landlord as a tortured artistic genius who slashes the throats of his tenants in revenge for not appreciating his work; a Jerry Herman version, as a splashy star vehicle; an Andrew Lloyd Webber version, a rock musical with themes borrowed from Puccini; and a Kander & Ebb version, set in a speakeasy in Chicago. This comic valentine to musical theatre was the longest running show in the York Theatre Company's 35-year history before moving to Off-Broadway.The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) is a 2005 off-Broadway musical. It was written by Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell (who also starred in the original production). Each of the five acts act is a short musical in the style of various American and British musical theatre composers, all dealing with roughly the same plot: "I can't pay the rent!" (This plot, aside from being a classic melodrama plot, also echoes another popular musical, Jonathan Larson's Rent.) The roles Each musical features four players who reprise similar archetypal roles in each. * The villain, "Jitter" - Male, the landlord figure of each musical who demands the rent be paid or another form of recompense offered. * The hero, "Willy" - Male, usually the leading man and romantic interest who valiantly offers to pay the rent, whether he can or not. * The ingenue, "June" - Female, the leading lady who cannot pay her rent. * The matron, "Abby" - Female, the older woman to whom June turns for advice. The musicals Corn Corn is set in the style of the musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein, featuring parodies of and references to The King and I, The Sound of Music, Carousel, Oklahoma!, and South Pacific. In Kansas in August, Jidder threatens that June will have to marry him if she can't pay the rent; Big Willy is torn between his desire to marry her himself and his desire for the freedom of his carnival-barker lifestyle.A Little Complex A Little Complex is based upon the musicals of Stephen Sondheim (Into the Woods, Company, Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George, et al). In a New York apartment complex full of neurotics, Jitter is a mad artist/landlord who plots to murder his tenants for throwing his artwork out with the trash.Dear Abby Dear Abby parodies the work of Jerry Herman, especially Mame, and Hello, Dolly! Aunt Abby is an unconventional Manhattan socialite, adored by her neighbors, and her advice solves everyone's problems.Aspects of Junita Aspects of Junita plays upon the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber, including Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Phantom of the Opera. In this sung-through pop opera, Junita hopes that becoming a superstar, despite her lack of talent, will allow her to get out of paying her rent.Speakeasy Speakeasy reflects the work of John Kander and Fred Ebb, chiefly Chicago and Cabaret. In a speakeasy in 1930s Chicago, where half the characters are German, Fräulein Abby advises Juny to turn to prostitution to pay her rent; her boyfriend, Villy, is both gay and in jail, and is of no help; and the activity is presided over by the creepy emcee/landlord Jütter.After the end of "Speakeasy", the cast concludes the show by singing "Done", a parody of the song "One" from the musical A Chorus Line.
"Witty! Refreshing! Juicily! Merciless!" --Michael Feingold, Village Voice. TOp of Page |
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