Review: DISASTER! is Goofy Fun Set To A Campy 1970's Beat

Let's face it, the pop hits of the 1970s were what drove many of us post-boomers to Broadway showtunes. After all, why would any reasonable person waste valuable turntable time with "Knock Three Times" when "Being Alive" was an option? Once you've heard "All That Jazz" is there really any reason for "Hot Stuff"? "Feelings" vs. "What I Did For Love?" Not a fair fight.

Happily, bookwriters Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick do not afford much dignity to these and other classics from the Nixon/Ford/Carter years, such as "Torn Between Two Lovers," "Ben," "I Will Survive" and, of course, "S-S-S-Saturday Night," the song that found its way from Scotland to the states thanks to the golden ear of Howard Cosell.

In Disaster!, their maniacally campy send-up of disaster movies like EARTHQUAKE, THE TOWERING INFERNO, AIRPORT and the gold standard, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, the songs of the jukebox score mostly serve as punch lines, often twisting the lyrical meaning for a new comical context. With a cast list packed with solid Broadway pros, some clever stagecraft by set designer Tobin Ost and a deliciously tacky parade of costumes by William Ivy Long, Disaster! offers two hours of polished professionals having some goofy fun.

Sleazy businessman Tony (Roger Bart) has ignored numerous safety requirements to quickly open his floating casino on a luxury cruise ship docked off Manhattan. Rudetsky is Ted, the humorless disaster expert who warns that his new enterprise is floating over a shifting fault line, and that the intensity of the disco dancing moves of his customers could spell their doom. ("Every funky dance move shakes the pier which will soon cause the fault line to snap.") Naturally, Tony ignores him, which means we brace ourselves for the inevitable earthquake, hurricane, tidal wave and shark attack. Just pray that nothing happens to that fish tank full of piranhas.

Decked out in a Farrah wig and Long's spoof of Bob Mackie chic, Rachel York is the lounge singer hopelessly waiting for Tony to marry her as she cares for her young twins Ben and Lisa, both played by Baylee Littrell, with the help of some well-timed quick changes.

Sexy, but unsuccessful, toy inventor Chad (overtly power-belting Adam Pascal) grabs his shlubby buddy Scott (Max Crumm) so they can nab on-board waiter gigs and score some shipboard action, but his heart stops when he spots Marianne (Kerry Butler), the woman who stood him up at the altar to pursue her career as a news reporter.

Middle-aged fun couple Shirley and Maury (the adorable pairing of Faith Prince and Kevin Chamberlin) are celebrating hubby's recent retirement, but Shirley is bravely hiding the fact that she has a rare, fatal disease. When Prince lists the absurd combination of symptoms that will strike when her end is near, it sets up a wildly comic second act showcase.

Lacretta Nicoles is the former disco diva whose career is on the skids and Jennifer Simard, whose potent comic chops are well-known to Off-Broadway audiences, finally gets a juicy role in one of the big rooms as a dour, deadpan nun unsuccessfully fighting her gambling addiction. Her hilarious, show-stopping solo has the fallen sister tongue-kissing a slot machine while belting "Never Can Say Goodbye."

While the first act sets up relationships, the second half bombards the characters with a series of unfortunate occurrences that has Ted despirately trying to rescue as many as he can while Tony attempts to save his own skin. It's no spoiler to note that for most of them there is a morning after, though, for some reason, "The Morning After" the Oscar-winning song from THE POISEDEN ADVENTURE, is never heard.

Plotnick's direction is a fast and furious race from gag to gag, with choreographer JoAnn M. Hunter's sexy ensemble of disco dancers distracting anyone who might want to think seriously about the goings-on. At its best, which occurs quite frequently, Disaster! resembles some of the better sketch comedy moments from THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW, and rarely slips anywhere lower than, say, THE SONNY AND CHER COMEDY HOUR.