GOES FROM A Y2K POP TO GEN ZZZZZZZZ
There was a buzz of anticipation in the air as the house lights blacked out at the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theater—an audible fandom of excitement. Had clips already surfaced on TikTok? Had a cast recording dropped early? Or was it a lure of past performances: America’s Got Talent semi-finalist Luke Islam, Matilda’s Tony winner Milly Shapiro, or Six’s Jane Seymour Keri René Fuller? Whatever the reason, the premiere of The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse—The New Group’s new musical which opened tonight at The Pershing Square Signature Center—arrived with excitement and lived up to most of it.
Patrick Nathan Falk, Keri René Fuller, Luke Islam, Milly Shapiro
Patrick Nathan Falk, Keri René Fuller, Luke Islam, Milly Shapiro
We open in darkness. A small spot hits She/Her/Sherlock (Shapiro), a Gen Z sleuth cloistered in her bedroom. Her obsession: finding missing girls on the internet. She has her own channel with thousands of followers. Only when she’s online does she feel alive. Did I mention she’s been held up in her bedroom for the last four years? What’s not to understand — as she sings, “wars and hurricanes, botched elections, mass infections,” apocalypse is in her veins, so she stays inside and fixates on girls who have disappeared.
Milly Shapiro, Sara Gettelfinger, Keri René Fuller,
Natalie Walker, Patrick Nathan Falk, Luke Islam
Milly Shapiro (front), Keri René Fuller
A photo and heading from the New York Post catches her eye: “3 Bimbos of the Apocalypse” headlines over the photo of Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton. But what about the fourth girl, just out of frame? She becomes her latest case, but it’s a deep dive into the Y2K era: 2006, a historical past she knows nothing about. Evidence and experts are needed.
Luke Islam, Sara Gettelfinger, Keri René Fuller, Natalie Walker
Patrick Nathan Falk, Luke Islam (front), Keri René Fuller
In a wormhole of investigation, she meets two 16-year-old digital sidekicks: Earworm (Islam) and Bookworm (Patrick Nathan Falk). Together, the three follow clues and conspiracies that lead to the missing fourth bimbo: Coco (Keri René Fuller), a one-hit wonder with more secrets than songs. Plot twists abound, none to be spoiled here, the show barrels forward with a fizzy mix of satire, nostalgia, and amusing sleuthing. But who is tracking whom?
Natalie Walker (front), Patrick Nathan Falk, Luke Islam
Patrick Nathan Falk, Sara Gettelfinger
What’s admirable, despite the story’s online premise, is how little the show relies on camera personnel, screens, or projections. Director Rory Pelsue trusts theatricality over technology, using clever staging and Jack Ferver & Olivia Palacios‘s kinetic choreography to conjure the internet’s sensory overload. Amith Chandrashaker‘s lighting and Megumi Katayama & Ben Truppin-Brown‘s sound work in tandem like an algorithmic dance. The scenic design by Stephanie Osin Cohen is delightfully less-is-more: with rolling set pieces, drops that fly in and out, and a large hand-painted version of that infamous 2006 tabloid photo. Cole McCarty’s costumes and Matthew Armentrout’s hair & wigs relish in Gen Z kitsch: exposed midriffs, low-rise jeans, crimped locks, and unapologetic bimbo aesthetics.
Sara Gettelfinger
Patrick Nathan Falk, Milly Shapiro, Luke Islam
The book and score by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley give shining moments to each of the 6-member cast. Casting Director Judy Henderson pulls together the perfect cast, each worthy of a golden buzzer. Rounding out the cast are Sara Gettelfinger (Mother!) and Natalie Walker (Kiki), both with scene stealing moments of surprise and delight. The four musicians against the back wall deliver a sound far bigger than their size suggests, keeping busy with the 17 songs that make up the energetic score (Music Direction, Orchestrations, and Vocal Arrangements by Dan Schlosberg).
Milly Shapiro, Keri René Fuller
Keri René Fuller, Milly Shapiro, Natalie Walker
The 90-minute who-done-it is seamless until we get to the end. That’s where the momentum falters. The final clue is discovered off-stage—the ah-ha moment for our protagonist, (now rebranded as Brainworm). As she enters for a final confrontation, her energy is strangely muted. She speaks subdued, with an ultra-realistic register that drains the moment of theatrical electricity. One wishes she had made the final discovery onstage, allowing us to ride the high with her. Despite a glittery final costume flourish from Coco and the Worms, the pace tiptoes to its conclusion rather than blasting out the door.
Sara Gettelfinger, Keri René Fuller, Natalie Walker, Milly Shapiro
Once Pelsue recharges the final scene, there’s no reason this funny, satiric musical mystery shouldn’t have a long life ahead. The talent—onstage and behind the scenes—is undeniable. The audience came expecting a hit. They just might get one soon enough.
photos by Monique Carboni
The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse
The New Group
The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theater
Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd St
90 minutes, no intermission
ends on June 1, 2025
for tickets, visit The New Group
Gregory Fletcher is an author, a theater professor, a playwright, director, and stage manager. His craft book on playwriting is entitled Shorts and Briefs, and publishing credits include two YA novels (Other People’s Crazy, and Other People’s Drama), 2 novellas in the series Inclusive Bedtime Stories, 2 short stories in The Night Bazaar series, and several essays. Website, Facebook, Instagram.
