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A CurtainUp Review
Hercules In High Suburbia By Jenny Sandman
This new musical based on Euripedes' Heracles. Hercules and his nuclear family (wife Megara and their three boys) live in Thebes by the Sea, a gated suburban community where everyone drives SUVs and takes tennis lessons. While Hercules is in the underworld, filming a two-hour season finale for his new reality show,Megara is left to battle the homeowners' association on her own. Lycus, president of the homeowners' association, is trying to evict Hercules' family, ostensibly because they're too "ethnic" for the neighborhood. Hercules returns just in time, but he has bigger problems than Lycus. It seems Zeus, his father, is taking heat from Hera, who wants Hercules dead. Hercules doesn't help matters by contracting a large case of hubris. Hera sends the Furies to drive him to madness. In a fit of temporary insanity he does indeed go berserk, and creates a bloodbath to rival Rambo's. Songs such as "I've Got a McMansion on the Hill," "Because I'm God" are fresh and witty, most of them Meat Loaf-inspired rockabilly mixed with a blues twang. They're catchy and surprising, a perfect fit for the subversive, brainy humor of the text. The play ends on a more contemplative note, with a song about mortality, but then reprises the opener ("High Suburbia" to , bring the story full circle. The actors are terrific, especially Ellen Foley as Hercules' wife, Megara. Best known as the second half of the famous duo in Meat Loaf's ""Paradise by the Dashboard Light,"" she's also a former VH-1 VJ, and her powerhouse vocal chords are one of the most enjoyable parts of the show. None of this is to downplay the other voices--Neal Young (Lycus) is delightfu as a smarmy political wimp, and Matt Landers plays Zeus like a singing Tony Soprano. Dana Vance is hysterical as Zeus' bleating satyr/caddy. Postel Pringle (Hercules) is less colorful than his counterparts, but he can belt it out as well. Led by Mary Fulham inspired writing and direction, the ensemble's comic timing is near impeccable. Most play multiple roles, and are versatile enough to pull them off. The set and sound are equally inspired. The backdrops and set pieces have been cleverly designed to resemble architectural blueprints from suburban housing developments (you know, the ones where all the houses try to look different but are really the same). The sound effects blend a number of suburban noises, for a cacophony of car alarms, motorcycles, cell phones, barking dogs and lawnmowers. I admit it, I'm not a huge fan of musicals. Never have been. But this one kept me laughing throughout; it's delightful.
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Retold by Tina Packer of Shakespeare & Co. Click image to buy. Our Review Mendes at the Donmar Our Review At This Theater Leonard Maltin's 2003 Movie and Video Guide Ridiculous!The Theatrical Life & Times of Charles Ludlam 6, 500 Comparative Phrases including 800 Shakespearean Metaphors by CurtainUp's editor. Click image to buy. Go here for details and larger image. |