Sunday, June 22, 2008 | A+E, Theater, Reviews
Sick Sense

Two messy musicals revel in poor taste but reap rich rewards

 

 

By Bert Osborne
 
Onstage Atlanta’s 2006 production of “Urinetown the Musical” so pissed me off (in a manner of speaking), I didn’t even bother to review it. I wasted enough time just watching it; I wasn’t about to give it any further attention—which is also why I came this close to pretending not to notice that the theater is currently reviving the hit show. Am I a critic or a glutton for punishment?
 
Kudos to Barbara Cole Uterhardt, then, who takes over the direction of this remount and offers an unexpected surprise: In every respect, her version is more consistently, effectively executed. There were so many issues in the design, staging and performance of the first “Urinetown,” it was near impossible to appreciate the funniness of the material (written by Greg Kotis, with music by Mark Hollmann). It’s part silly social satire (a homeless rebellion against the corporation in charge of public “amenities”), part musical-theater sendup (when an adorable moppet/voice of reason asks an affable beat cop/narrator what’s happening, he replies, “Why, it’s the big Act One finale, Little Sally!”). Here, the comedy—of the situations and the songs—rings louder and clearer.
 
In one running gag, characters feign melodramatic shock with a collective “Wha ...?!?” I had a few similar reactions—to the new and improved set (this time designed by Anthony Owen); at first sight of the irrepressible Googie Uterhardt (the director’s husband), a newcomer to the cast as the wry Officer Lockstock (yes, his partner’s name is Barrel); and to the addition of Clint Pridgen, who leaves a much stronger impression as our intrepid hero. Most notable of the returning ensemble members is Jenna Edmonds’ precious Little Sally. Under the snappy musical direction of Clay Causey (leading a four-piece band), and the lively choreography of Ricardo Aponte, the highlight among several entertaining numbers is the rousing “Run Freedom Run.”
 
The characters often refer disparagingly to their troubled past as the “stink years,” and I look back to Onstage’s original “Urinetown” in the same way, frankly. I’d hate to make a habit of it, but it’s sort of neat being proven wrong about a show. Uterhardt’s energetic production is the very best kind of remount—one that doesn’t simply cash in on an earlier success, but takes full advantage of the opportunity to better itself. The difference is like night and day.
 
“Urinetown” revels in poor taste (you can imagine the bathroom humor), but “Song of the Living Dead,” an original musical spoof of zombie movies (written by Matt Horgan and Travis Sharp, composed by Eric Frampton), is some really sick stuff—and just as much fun (as directed by Kate Warner). If there’s one “Wha ...?!?”-like word to describe the Dad’s Garage show, it’s “Eeeww!”
 
While Gabriel Dean, Erin Lorette and Z Gillispie play the campy love triangle, the real star is “Master of Gore” Chris Brown, whose bloodletting special effects must be seen to be believed. Based on the opening-night audience, groans of disgust mix with cheers and applause when one guy rips out another’s heart, or upon the messy beheading of a cute little baby. His crowning achievement, as it were, is a zombie birthing scene worthy of “The Brood” or “It’s Alive.”
 
In contrast with two such unabashedly raunchy musicals, Theatre Decatur’s bargain-basement staging of the ’80s feminist revue “A ... My Name is Alice” (co-directed by Lon and Barbara Abrams) seems hopelessly tame and dated. Five actresses (Carla Selden and Gillian Leggett stand out) perform a series of supposedly empowering songs and vignettes about dating, marriage, sisterhood and sexual liberation. The best to be said for the show, as a precursor to dreck like “Menopause the Musical,” is that it’s never quite that shrill or frightful. SP

Linnea Frye
Erin Lorette, Stephen Platinum and Gabriel Dean in “Song of the Living Dead”

“URINETOWN THE MUSICAL”
Onstage Atlanta
404-897-7450
www.onstageatlanta.com
Through July 12

“SONG OF THE LIVING DEAD”
Dad’s Garage
404-523-3141
www.dadsgarage.com
Through July 5

“A … MY NAME IS ALICE”
Theatre Decatur
404-373-3904
www.theatredecatur.com
Through June 29