JUST AS PROMISED, IT’S BIG!
IT’S GAY! IT’S JAMBOREEING!
Yes, there is a way to escape the post-election blues for 90 minutes: The Big Gay Jamboree at the Orpheum Theatre is the sublimely ridiculous remedy we need. Marla Mindelle — who co-wrote the book with Jonathan Parks-Ramage and the songs with Philip Drennen — definitely has a knack for musical pastiche. Not to mention she does a superb job starring in this dazzling funfest, which had a packed house roaring with laughter at pop-culture references and satirical jabs — how often can you say that?
Still dressed in a nasty party outfit, Stacey (Mindelle) — a raunchy, disillusioned musical theatre graduate — wakes up with a terrible hangover next to four angelic singing girls who claim to be her sisters, hovering over her and smiling maniacally. She is trapped in a 1940s Golden Age musical like Broadway’s Oklahoma! in a rural town called Bareback. What follows is her preposterous escape from this nightmare of old timey righteousness. There’s a slew of pop-culture references, some of which flew over my head, but with the actors communicating lines with their bodies as well as their mouths, it all makes sense thanks to director and choreographer Conor Gallagher.
Scenic design by dots turns the stage into evocative dreamscapes, aided by Aaron Rhyne‘s projections, that suit the hilarious take on classic musicals: endless green fields; a quaint little town not unlike a Currier & Ives Christmas card illustration; the scary forest; and a castle at the edge of the world — always with a couple of bizarre details that guarantee a chuckle. Sarah Cubbage‘s costumes and hair and Leah J. Loukas‘s wigs are more than spot-on, especially the colorful, perfectly tailored outfits of four sisters played by Natalie Walker, Jaden Dominique, Jillian Mueller, and Olivia Puckett. Half Stepford Wives and half chorus girls, each stunningly talented member of this quartet is very, very funny.
With a velvety baritone, Paris Nix plays Clarence, the perfect good egg and the town gospel singer, a cliché in Broadway musicals and another reminder of the good ol’ days mantra with all its racism, misogyny, and homophobia. Constantine Rousouli is Bert, the monster that lives in the forest whose only frightening side is his insatiable appetite for sex. Brad Greer, Melvin Tunstall, Clyde Voce, Cortney Wolfson, and effervescent John Yi complete the gifted ensemble.
Stacey’s dream is to land a part in Bravo’s Real Housewives (“but not in Dubai”); in her real life, she is playing a cucumber in a show titled Mr. Zucchini’s Riboflavin Factory and dating a disgusting rich boyfriend, Keith (Jeremiah Ginn in for Alex Moffat at my performance). Brian Tovar‘s lights, Justin Stasiw‘s sound, and David Dabbon‘s musical supervision and arrangements are as insane, or insanely good, as the rest of the show.
As Titaníque, the other successful comedy by Mindelle, continues its long run, The Big Gay Jamboree looks to run for quite some time (it’s already been extended through December 15). Certainly not PC — there are plenty of lines to insult all types of gender and sexuality; the songs are clear spoofs of famous musicals’ tunes; and there are plenty of disparaging jokes at the expense of Broadway’s tropes. It’s not easy to resist exaggeration when your plot is so surreal and campy, but this sparkling production makes exaggeration its mission — and triumphs.
photos by Matthew Murphy
The Big Gay Jamboree
Orpheum Theatre, 126 2nd Ave.
ends on December 15, 2024
for tickets, visit Big Gay Jamboree
