There's something deliciously juvenile about the titular opening number of F#@cking Up Everything, David Eric Davis and Sam Forman's new indie-rock musical, now playing in the NYMF- it gets the word fuck out of the way immediately (as if the title didn't already), tosses a reference to REM in there, and sets the stage for a raucous rock comedy- and then the script pitches us a sweet love story in its stead. Christian Schwartzelberg (Noah Weisberg) is a sweet-but nebbish guy who keeps losing girls to his friend badboy rocker Jake (Neil Haskell), who plays in a band with Tony (Leif Huckman), and they all went to college together with Tony's girlfriend Ivy (Jenna Coker-Jones), who has an unrequited crush on Jake. Ivy's other college friend Juliana (Kate Rockwell) shows up to a performance by Jake's band, and Christian is instantly smitten. They begin to fall in love, but misunderstandings abound- Christian thinks she slept with Jake, she thinks he's not interested, Jake gives Christian advice on how to be a bad boy, and of course he attempts it when he sees Juliana again, and fucks up everything. It's a standard plot of teen/college drama, but Davis and Forman's book is so charming and witty that the cliché hardly matters. The plot is also spiced up by a hilarious visit to "Cougars", a bar where the boys go to get Christian laid, where they meet Arielle (the always-fabulous Liz Larsen, in an all-too-short cameo), who could teach Courtney Cox a thing or two about what a Cougar is (or, indeed, what sexy is).
The play is major entertainment. David Eric Davis' music is powerful, funny, and moving- not merely rock, there are also elements of reggae, folk, and country. The highlights for me were "Juliana", "Falling", "Me and My Bong", and "Arielle's Areolas".
The cast delivers with the acting and on all the songs- Haskell is perfect as the pretty and ruthless Jake, Coker-Jones displays her impressive pipes as Ivy, Noah Weisberg is very appealing and funny as Christian. Rockwell does, busting out a guitar as well as a lovely singing voice. Huckman is hilarious as the perpetually-stoned Tony, and actually plays bass in the onstage band as well. The rest of the band at times takes part in the action, John Rochette (the drummer), Matt Hinkley (Guitar and keyboard, as well as music director and arranger), and Craig Magnano (guitars). Larsen's song "Little Boys" is another highlight, thanks to her performance. Puppets by David Valentine are amazing (Did I mention Christian is a puppeteer?). Stephen Brackett's direction is spot-on, always keeping the action clear.
The only real strangeness about the play is that it has the same problems as the reformed Christian- it tries a bit too hard to be badass and crude, which, although in character, might turn some audience members off, but underneath the raunchy veneer, there's a sweet and delightful romantic heart. This piece is well worth the time.
F#@king Up Everything
Book, Music, and Lyrics by David Eric Davis
Book by Sam Forman
Part of the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival
45th St Theatre
354 W. 45th St btw 8th & 9th Aves.
http://www.nymf.org/Show-838.html
http://fuckingupeverything.com/
