You don’t have to be a musical theater maven to understand all of the clever inside jokes in “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)” at MetroStage. In fact, you don’t even have to know who Georges Seurat or Agnes de Mille were to appreciate the affectionate jibes in their direction.
It just helps.
Music theater lovers will rejoice at the unending humor of the off-Broadway success that lovingly lampoons the greatest composers of music theater, while newbies will still enjoy the playful ribbing at the very genre itself. A hilarious theatrical parody of five distinct musical styles, Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart’s “Musical” uses the same simple diagram of a plot — pretty girl can’t pay her rent, is accosted by villainous landlord, handsome boy meets pretty girl and offers to pay her rent — and sends it up as perceived by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and John Kander & Fred Ebb.
» The Highlights
It’s five musicals in one! Every single line is a riff on lyrics or musical devices, skewering everything from Sondheim’s neurotic syncopation to the entrance applause and overindulgent excesses of Herman’s “Mame” and “Hello, Dolly!” Here, the scenery elicits another round of applause in Webber’s segment, and Kander & Ebb get das boot in a Chicago cabaret, complete with its very own spider woman. Rockwell and Bogart even poke fun at the team’s long-standing love affair with Liza Minnelli.
» The Lowlights
If you find music theatera little too contrived for your cup of cacao, then stick to the Shakespeare in Washington Festival’s abundant offerings.
» The Cast
Larry Kaye directs a riotous quartet of familiar Washington talent, including Bobby Smith as the hilarious “Jidder/Jitter/Mr. Jitters/Phantom Jitter/Jütter”; Donna Migliaccio (somebody cast this woman as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard” — her diva would be just the right combination of delicate delusion and self-absorbed splendor); and the husband and wife pairing of Janine Gulisano-Sunday and Russell Sunday, who make for one dynamic duo as ingénue and leading man.
For naughty narration and a few dashes of tongue-in-cheek irony, Dan Kazemi, the evening’s music director and pianist, offers juicy bits of sidebar commentary to the proceedings.
» The Designers
Allison Campbell’s backstage set is a believable camp of behind-the-scenes wardrobe pieces and stage lights, including a crashing chandelier à la “Phantom of the [mock] Opera,” and Erin Nugent’s sea of smart, versatile costumes are well-designed to accommodate multiple quick changes in the wings.
» Munch on This
If you’ve ever wondered what Jellicle Junita would do in a field full of corn with the birds from “Into the Woods” and a maniacal artist-landlord who wants to chop up his tenants and serve them up in his paintings while toasting to the smörgåsbord of “Life!” — then you’ll definitely find Kaye’s bright production right up your Schubert Alley.
The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)”
By Eric Rockwell, Joanne Bogart
Directed by Larry Kaye
Through June 3
» Venue: MetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria
» Tickets: $35 to $40
» Performances: 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays; 3 and 7 p.m. Sundays
» Info: 800-494-8497,
www.metrostage.org
