Review: Fun-Filled Musical Remake of MYSTIC PIZZA Debuts at La Mirada Theatre

While it's very easy to say that jukebox musicals are about as lazy as you can get when it comes to putting together an easily-sellable show thanks to its pre-existing collection of songs that many people already know, sometimes a few shiny theatrical gems do manage to sneak through to genuinely entertain despite its lack of serious Sondheim-esque sophistication. 

Such is the case with the enjoyable stage adaptation of MYSTIC PIZZA, a surprisingly fun, thoroughly engaging new jukebox musical that combines lots of popular, easily-recognizable hit tunes from the 80's (and a few from the 90's) with stories created by writer Amy Holden Jones for the little-seen 1988 MGM film of the same name helmed by director Donald Petrie.  

Normally, just mashing up a random selection of previously-released pop songs from a specific era with a random movie that just happens to take place in that same era to create a "new" musical is just a simplistic means to an end. Here, however, the resulting new hybrid show is, to my surprise, an amusingly sassy, smile-inducing delight, filled with incredible performances, laudable production design, and an emotion-enhancing soundtrack that relishes in its purposely cheeky goodness. 

Perhaps coming in with little to no expectations helped with this surprise pleasure—after all, the indie-vibing movie itself was not an impactful nor a particularly huge box office hit during its initial release, even though it did manage to garner some pretty decent, well-deserved critical notices. And beyond anything else, the movie is, really, most notable for just being an early launch vehicle for soon-to-be stars Annabeth Gish, Lili Taylor, and some young lady named Julia Roberts… who all, without question, turned in very admirable performances in it.

Thankfully, this admirable quality seems to have carried over to the film's stage adaptation as well, which is currently making its eye-popping, Broadway-caliber West Coast Premiere at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts for a limited engagement through February 11, 2024. 

Featuring the same three beguiling lead actors—Krystina Alabado, Kyra Kennedy, and Gianna Yanelli—that are reprising the same roles they originated in the debut production that first premiered at the Ogunquit Playhouse in the Fall of 2021, this lively, vibrant new regional production offers up (just like the film) a trio of endearingly flawed, easily likable, and very relatable young humans that the audience will likely want to hang out with and, more importantly, root for in their respective journeys.

And, yes, what else would a jukebox musical that takes place in the late 80's use to express the characters' melodramatic emotions but, of course, a lot of familiar old-school 80's bops that include decade-defining hits from the likes of Cyndi Lauper, John Mellencamp, Debbie Gibson, the Bangles, Huey Lewis, and, yes, even Rick Astley? I mean, geez… it's as if the show is really trying its best to win us over with a bit of eargasmic nostalgia, too.

Well, I'm sold.

Just like its well-received cinematic source material, this relatively new stage musical—adapted with a new book by Sandy Rustin and directed with efficiently entertaining momentum by Casey Hushion—is a charming, if forgivably predictable coming-of-age story about three young, tight-knit Portuguese-American women at the precipice of adulthood. As each townie navigates the ups and downs of their respective imperfect presents and their impending futures, the trio work harmoniously together as waitresses at the beloved local pizza joint (where the show gets its title from) located at the center of their small seaside hometown of Mystic, Connecticut.

Two of the three young ladies are, actually, super-close biological sisters with decisively opposite personalities. Book-smart Kat Arujo (the angelic Kennedy) works multiple part-time jobs in order to fund some of the tuition she will need when she goes off to Yale University to study astronomy. Kat's brassy, more spontaneous sister, Daisy Arujo (the superb Alabado), on the other hand, is, um, less structured. She definitely enjoys a good time, and impatiently longs to find other, less academic ways to escape out of her ordinary, small town life. 

As expected, both Kat and Daisy's lives are suddenly tossed into a tizzy, though, when they each meet new paramours. 

In her capacity as the manager at a local rental property, Kat develops a crush on an older, handsome, visiting architect named Tim Travers (the swoony Chris Cardozo), who is temporarily staying in town to renovate one of the local mansions. Meanwhile, Daisy, in her ongoing quest to leave Mystic, decides that romancing a rich college yuppie is her exit ticket. The opportunity soon arrives via pastel-sweatered frat bro Charlie Windsor Jr. (the very talented Michael Thomas Grant, one of my fave sassy "villains" from the lovely but short-lived Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist), who, to her surprise, genuinely likes her back despite their socio-economic differences.

The Arujo sisters are besties with the adorably spunky Jojo Barboza (the wonderful Yanelli), a pint-sized spitfire who is, herself, also having her own boy troubles—mainly because she suffers from a debilitating fear of commitment. When we first meet her character at the very opening of the show, we find her in a state of panic at her wedding ceremony to her fiancé Bill Montijo (the lovable Jordan Friend). Despite being passionately in love with Bill, Jojo faints at the thought of being tied down in legal matrimony. She pretty much spends most of the musical trying to win him back, while also trying her damndest to figure out Mystic Pizza's secret sauce ingredients.

Autumn has arrived at Mystic, which means another summer tourist season has come and gone, leaving the pizza joint, once again, less crowded. Owned for decades by proprietor Leona Silvia (the effervescent Rayanne Gonzales, who also reprises the role she originated), the empty pizza parlor leaves her, understandably, in uneasy financial flux. This, sadly, prompts her to contemplate, perhaps, selling her business—unbeknownst at first to the three vivacious young women she employs. Naturally, she is wracked with guilt about it because, in a way, she considers Kat, Daisy, and Jojo her unofficial daughters and, therefore, doesn't want to just pull the rug from under them. 

Will the girls lose their little slice of heaven…their home away from home? And also, by extension, will love and romance become a source of joy or pain in their unwritten futures? 

An unabashedly fun, ecstatically buoyant, and proudly unserious show from topping to crust, La Mirada's enjoyable production of MYSTIC PIZZA is, in its own charm-filled way, a visceral improvement on its much simpler cinematic origins. By amping up its endearing, down-to-earth qualities via its impressive visual prowess as well as its inclusion of spirited, pop-tastic musical numbers, the show wonderfully transcends its basic, soapy plot, elevating it above the average coming-of-age stories that were synonymous with other 80's-era teen rom-coms. 

Featuring laudably detailed, Broadway-caliber sets designed by Nate Bertone, and kitschy, vintage costumes designed by Jen Caprio, this top-notch production immediately transports the audience back to the time period right from the get-go with great nostalgic reverence. And after experiencing countless productions lately that rely solely on projections for their scenic environments, it's refreshing to see tangible, well-designed structures move in and out on stage again. I especially liked even the movable, very versatile seaside "dock" set pieces that provide cast members varying levels to stand on during "outdoor" scenes, enhanced further by the Ryan J. O'Gara's lighting design. 

Musically, of course, the show sounds super awesome, thanks to the terrific, hard-rockin' on-stage house band under the direction of musical director Kristin Stowell and conductor Jennifer Lin. My favorite scenes, hands down, often involve the entire ensemble dancing up a storm (Connor Gallagher's fantastic, high-energy choreography is, by its own merits, a star of the show all on its own) or when the cast all sing out together with sincere ferocity, as they do during the musical numbers that end each of its two acts—making great use of Wilson Phillips’ "Hold On" and Starship’s "Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now" respectively.

MYSTIC PIZZA's cleverly-curated songbook, let's be clear, is here to serve just one purpose: not to help propel the stories (and the musical) forward, but, rather, simply as an audacious way to further emphasize the characters' feelings, using each song's circumstantial lyrics that just happen to coincide with their current situations. While I have, in the past, often found this an objectionable, somewhat "lazy" quality, here, it almost feels like a cheer-worthy act of theatrical chutzpah. The songs, without any irony or pretense, simply turn up the volume on the show's overall emotional heft, while also not hiding just how hyper-aware it is of its own tongue-in-cheek devices.

I repeatedly found myself smiling upon hearing just a few starting bars of a familiar pop song, knowing that its selection for that given moment is done so for an intentionally cheeky reason—usually because the song contains specific words to match what the characters are dying to express out loud. What normally might get an eye roll from me for being way too on-the-nose, actually made me chuckle repeatedly, especially because of how passionate and sincere these songs are performed by this excellent ensemble. The songs are enhancements, sure, but never provided at the expense of telling the full story already with action and dialogue.

And, yes, though many of the characters are slightly rooted in familiar clichés or expected archetypes, the performers embodying them make the characters so dang likable and relatable that you can't help but root for all of them to have happy endings.

Strong-voiced Alabado (whom I remember seeing in the first national tour of SPRING AWAKENING during my fan-girling phase as a "Guilty One"), has truly matured as a stirring musical theater actress, commanding every scene she is in as the confident but secretly insecure Daisy. Kennedy plays the most "serious" pizza-slinger here, but her adorably goofy take on "Lost In Your Eyes" as an imagined expression of her girl-crush on Cardozo's Tim (who can blame her) gives her nerdy Kat multiple layers. And for her part, Yanelli easily steals everyone's hearts (and many scenes) as the feisty Jojo, the whirling dervish that loves and lusts with equal ferocity. Every scene she is in is a guaranteed fun time.

Aside from the incredible acting and singing performances—and palpable chemistry—of the show's leading ladies, every single supporting actor and ensemble member of this cast is worth cheering. 

The talented Mr. Grant, who also has a fantastic voice, is pretty great as the preppy romantic foil for Alabado's working-class Daisy. Friend, meanwhile, is well-matched with Yanelli, who brings a cuddly, adorkable counterpart to her more manic persona. Cardozo and his powerful vocals and matinee idol looks will easily make audience members envious of Kat. And Gonzales' Leone—the true heart of the show—will effortlessly earn everyone's love, adoration, and affection, as she provides the show with generous helpings of mama-bear energy and soulful vocals to match. 

I also want to give shout-outs to specific ensemble players who give standout moments in an already talent-showcasing show. Kudos to amorphous chameleon Jeff Skowron for his roles as Charlie's posh asshat of a dad, Chuck Windsor, as well as his role as the dramatic foodie snob, "Fireside Gourmet." Scene-stealing Alyssa M. Simmons also deserves praise for her hilarious turn in one pivotal dinner scene as Charlie's mom, Polly Windsor. And cheers to Jake Swain, Michael James, and Domo D'dante for providing  great musically-tinged bromance backup to Friend's jilted Bill.

With such charming characters surrounded by impressive production design and an ear worm of a soundtrack, it's extremely difficult not to love the simple-plotted yet unapologetically ebullient MYSTIC PIZZA, a refreshingly fun, high-energy stage musical that proudly wears its audience-pleasing machinations on its cut-off sleeves. I can honestly say that it's a show that I probably will gladly see over and over again—as long as its enjoyable toppings remain the same.

Photos by Jason Niedle courtesy of La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Performances of MYSTIC PIZZA - THE MUSICAL at The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts continue through Sunday, February 11, 2024. The theater is located at 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in the city of La Mirada, CA. Parking is Free. For tickets, visit LaMiradaTheatre.com or call (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310.

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