Have You Ever Been to an “Adult” Musical?

The Classic Battle Between Good and Evil

Kragtar! is about good vs evil. It’s about love vs hate. It’s about the unholy mess our country is in. It’s an homage to classic musicals. It never stops laughing at itself. The audience never stops laughing, period. It’s a riot. You will love it if you leave any preconceived notions about the sanctity of just about anything at the door, and for goodness sake, do not bring the kiddies. It is an “Adult” musical.

Sam French and Kyle Wilson wrote the Book. Music and Lyrics are by Kyle Wilson. They have crafted a deliciously irreverent, very cleverly staged musical, by the Alleyway team, with biting wit and a kind heart.

an Energetic Affair

Harry Fine is a science professor at a highly rated California university that “is not Stanford.” He is known as the “Sexiest Man In Science” due to his reality show. However, he longs to be an “HBO Protagonist”  like Tony Soprano and sings a plaintive tune to that effect surrounded by various HBO heroic characters like what’s her name from Game of Thrones. Ah, but his heart is broken and he pines for his lost love, Harvey Finkler, who it turns out now teaches a Christian Sunday school class of four year olds and is married to a deeply religious woman named Beatrice Eden Finkler, aka Beard, who slaps her thigh twice to make him come to her side and has worked hard for years to get the “gay out of him.” And then there is Harry’s lovely Teaching Assistant, Trisch, who must stay by Harry’s side because TAs are, of course, indispensable. In addition to all of this, a chorus of six people play various roles, depending upon what action is taking place on stage. Oh, and there is a terrible monster attacking Whole Foods and Hobby Lobby and will eventually destroy America. It must be stopped by any means necessary. Hijinks ensue. 

Anthony Lazarro plays Harry like a matinee idol, but with a bit of insecurity underneath it all. His good looks have gotten him far, but his self-absorption could be the end of him. One minute he is terrified of the monster, the next he realizes he must save the world. He does all this and more with great panache. Justin Gaskill as Harvey is earnest in his desire to please, but a sad man who has denied his nature, which he portrays with a sweetness and melancholy that is very touching. Amanda Funicello is Trisch. She brings a Tina Fey/Sara Bareilles vibe to her part, in a good way. She is full of energy and always has a positive spin on things, but with a kind of impish spirit. Amy Jakiel as Beard steals every scene she is in. Her powerful voice and comic chops are on full display. They all, along with the chorus, have great comic timing.

The six chorus members all do a fine job with their parts. Nicholas Lama is a hoot as the cocaine-sniffing buffoon, er… Speaker of the House, in charge of five idiot congresspeople, like Emily Bassett, who likens the government to “a complicated machine – like a toaster”. They all argue about whether the machine should be a microwave or a pencil sharpener. Their scenes skewer the lunacy of our Government with no mercy. Jeremy Kreuzer is a hoot and a bit scary as a four year old. Matthew Rittler has a surprise for the Speaker, and is the only Congressperson with a conscience.

Sara Blewett and Jetaun Louie as Kline and Winkler do a great dance wearing homburgs  and carrying batons in the song, “Only Here To Help Us”, which is reminiscent of Fred and Judy’s (Astaire and Garland for the culturally deprived among us) couple of swells in Easter Parade, but without all the dirt.

Speaking of dancing, Choreography and Musical Staging by Kevin Leary is in keeping with the humor and general mayhem of the show, but in a very structured and fun way that adds greatly to the proceedings. Who does not love dancing? Well, maybe Beard. Who is she really?

Direction is by Artistic Executive Director Chris Handley, who along with everyone else involved, must have had a great time putting this show together. Kudos to all.

Get Ready to be Awed

What I have described is just a small portion of the hilarity, idiocy, and satire that is on stage. It is quite possible that you have never experienced a song like “A Million Candles” sung by Harvey and Beard, and most likely never will again. I will say no more about that.

For a good time, head to Alleyway Theatre for the premiere production of Kragtar! The American Monster Musical.