American satire not lost in translation
July 9, 2009 15:28The Menier Chocolate Factory does not do things by halves, which is why the return to these shores of Gerard Alessandrini’s naughty New York satirical revue has been revamped for London audiences.
True, anyone going to a lot of musicals over here will get most of the jokes about shows over there, such is the crossover between the West End and Broadway.
But most of the figures made fun of by this quartet of talented performers are distinctly British. Cameron Mackintosh is ridiculed for being a demon when it comes to merchandising moderately successful shows. This is the antidote to the cod-opera musical that takes itself crushingly seriously. No surprise, then, that Andrew Lloyd Webber gets an unhealthy dose of disrespect for being well, Andrew Lloyd Webber. So does his ex, musical actress Sarah Brightman, who is ridiculed for being screechy and neurotic.
But the idea, promoted by Alessandrini, and co-producers David Babani and John Freedson (both interviewed on page 38), that you do not have to know all the shows in order to get all the jokes is nothing more than a — how shall we put it — big, fat piece of good marketing.
Still, even if some of the gags go over your head, Phillip George’s production, with its 93 costume changes in just 90 minutes, whizzes by at such a rate you will not have to wait long before something hits your funny bone. It might be Steven Kynman in shorts as one of the world’s many Billy Elliots who, when asked where all his fellow Billys are, answers “in Stephen Daldry’s basement”. If you do not get that, this may not be the show for you. But if you do, have fun.