What could possibly go wrong when a bunch of caricatures with a flair for the dramatic come together on a ship that doubles as the casino Barracuda? Uh, everything. Disaster! embarks on a hilarious journey with an all-star cast, groovy tunes and lively costumes. Co-written by Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick, this musical parodies popular 1970’s disaster films (“The Poseidon Adventure” more specifically). Let’s talk about the cast first, shall we?
The crowd goes absolutely wild when Rent favorite Adam Pascal graces the Nederlander stage once again as the flirtatious Chad. The audience is immediately drawn in as Pascal sings Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” with his character’s endearing best friend Scott (portrayed by Grease‘s Max Crumm). The familiar faces keep pouring in when we meet Barracuda owner Tony Delvecchio (Tony Award winner Roger Bart), the vivacious yet slightly ditzy Jackie (Rachel York) and disaster expert Ted Scheider (Emmy Award nominated Seth Rudetsky). Although the cast consists of an estimable amount of seasoned actors, Broadway says hello to newcomers Lacretta Nicole and Baylee Littrell (yes, Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell’s dynamite of a teen son).
We join the plethora of characters as they celebrate Barracuda’s grand opening and meet Sister Mary (Jennifer Simard) who tells casino goers they’re destined for hell for gambling. What follows is a dance-in-your-seat ode to the greatest hits of the 70’s and ludicrous one-liners. The themes of love, longing and loss intertwine in silly ways and we are blown away by impressive vocals. There are a couple of competing storylines that demand the audience’s attention all at once, so try to keep up! While Chad mourns his failed relationship with reporter Marianne (Kerry Butler), older couple Maury (Kevin Chamberlin) and Shirley (Faith Prince) seem to be stuck in the honeymoon phase. Levora (Lacretta Nicole) is a has been singer who cares more about her pooch’s well-being than her own and struggles to make it big again. Jackie is desperate for Tony’s love and tries to keep up with her twins’ (both played by Baylee Litrell) crazy antics. The main conflict in act 1 however is between Tony and Ted, who butt heads about safety regulations on the boat. Ted insists the boat isn’t safe but Tony ignores his warnings and continues to be an oblivious, womanizing jerk. Their rivalry intensifies when incessant boogey-ing triggers an earthquake that turns Barracuda upside down – literally. Act 2 focuses on survival and reconciliation as the remaining passengers fight to stay alive (and not be eaten alive by piranhas).
Disaster!‘s strengths include the impeccable performances by Jennifer Simard and the Baylee Littrell. Sister Mary struggles to conceal a shameful addiction and 13 year old Baylee impresses the audience as he portrays mischievous twins Ben and Lisa. The kid sure has pipes on him and I expect to see much more of the young star in the near future. Also, it was a delight seeing Rachel York kick-butt again in a lead female role (she was Reno Sweeney in the national touring production of Anything Goes).
Disaster!‘s only flaw is that some of the jokes fall flat. There are a few moments when the audience can’t help but wonder whether they should’ve laughed at the awkward exchange that just took place on stage. It interferes slightly with the pace of the show but maybe that’s intentional; to mirror the often awkward (but widely entertaining) scenes found in disaster films.
Final verdict: Disaster! is the perfect show for those who want to sit back and enjoy the sweet tunes of the 70’s and have a couple of laughs. The writing successfully emulates the scripts of the disaster movies we hate to love. The storylines may come off as cheesy at times, but not in a unbearable or vapid way. The performances are pitch perfect (especially Pascal’s rendition of “Without You” by Harry Nilsson) and the writing does what it intends to do: satirize disaster movies.
MVP: Jennifer Simard. Her comedic delivery is nothing short of impeccable. I can assure you she’ll make you laugh until your belly aches. Wait until you find out who (or what) Sister Mary’s true love is…
The Nederlander will say goodbye to Disaster! on July 3rd so get your tickets here before it’s too late!
Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel
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