Review: World Premiere Musical THE PRETTY PANTS BANDIT is “Front Page News” at GET

Atlanta's own Chase Peacock and Jessica De Maria have brought the story of the infamous "Pretty Pants Bandit" Marie Baker to life in their world premiere musical, currently on stage with the Georgia Ensemble Theatre at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center.

THE PRETTY PANTS BANDIT was created around the true story of Marie Baker (real name Rose Durante). After leaving her mob boss husband, she and her band of "handsome thugs" began robbing mob fronts and leaving the men of these establishments with their pants around their ankles. #girlpower

The setup of the stage is very simple, which allows for a lot of different settings throughout the show. Indoor locations were changed through common props, like a piano and counter/bar. There was a band onstage (complete with strings!). They also utilized a built upper level, frequently moving the stairs to differentiate locations throughout the show. While these levels created dynamic scenes, the stairs were moved so frequently that it felt as if they were always in the way.

Oftentimes, the stage felt very overcrowded. Between the stairs, the props, the band, and the full cast, there often wasn't enough room for the movement the creative team had designed. It felt like everyone was holding back, which took away from the quality of the movement.

I had a hard time with the flow of the story. I feel that there was a good bit of exposition missing from the musical. In the second scene, Marie has run away. In the third scene, she is suddenly some bombshell. In the fourth scene, she has magically recruited 3-4 guys to join her crusade. Peacock and De Maria seemed to be structuring the storyline much like a lot of thriller authors do nowadays: skip the exposition and fill in the gaps with flashbacks throughout. For a story that's already unfamiliar to the audience, it made it even harder to follow along.

Peacock and De Maria's score lacked a sense of pacing, with every song competing to be the showstopper of the night. Unfortunately, it made the true showstoppers feel less powerful, and the songs to move the story along felt even more lackluster.

Many of the lyrics were a little cheesy with varying effectiveness. In the second scene, Marie Baker (Anna Dvorak) sings "More than a Dress," which felt as though it were trying to be a powerful song about a woman gaining her confidence. However, I got hung up on the lyrics, "brunette with a great silhouette / won't let you forget / I'm more than a dress." It felt a bit contradictory as Marie emphasized her femininity and beauty, and simultaneously insisted that she was more than all that.

At times, it was like I was experiencing deja vu with lines and scenarios very reminiscent of other musicals. In Act I, Cesario (Sebastian Treviño) quickly reads off some receipts, which was very like the beginning of "La Vie Boheme" in RENT. The finale sees Baker reading letters she received while in prison from her friends about their lives, and the journalist who broke her story, Gloria Rowe (Megan Zhang), singing about telling Baker's story. That was very much like "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" from HAMILTON.

The men of THE PRETTY PANTS BANDIT absolutely stole the show. Toward the end of Act I, the characters of Sam (Skyler Brown), Jaye (Jordan Patrick), and Cesario (Sebastian Treviño) sing "Big Boy Dreams," which was the best song of the entire production.

In addition to these three, Fenner Eaddy as Lawrence Baker was absolutely phenomenal. He had that perfect crooner quality that was such a staple of this time period. One thing that bothered me, though, is that he kind of disappeared from the second act of the show. I was hoping for one more big number from him, but that didn't happen.

Anna Dvorak as Marie Baker was an absolute delight - sweet and tough when she needed to be. It felt as if she were born to play this role. No matter what happened, she made us root for her and fall in love with the music whenever she sang. Duets between Dvorak and Eaddy (and there were quite a few) made the heart soar.

THE PRETTY PANTS BANDIT is a fun musical with some potential. The story is interesting, and plenty of songs make you want to smile and dance along. Overall, the message is positive too. I can see regional theatres and high schools having a field day (with quite a few language edits). It's a style of story that appeals to all ages, set in an iconic time period with uplifting music. The pop-rock score is designed to keep younger ages engaged, with plenty of laughs for the whole crowd.

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THE PRETTY PANTS BANDIT is written and scored by the Atlanta homegrown team of Chase Peacock and Jessica De Maria, known in the Atlanta theatre community as actor/singers and producers, as well as for their longtime collaboration. The musical is directed by James Donadio, GET's Artistic Director, with music direction by Alli Lingenfelter and choreography by Kari Twyman. Georgia Ensemble Theatre regularly commissions new works, usually by a local playwright. This is their first commissioned musical.

THE PRETTY PANTS BANDIT performs at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center at 950 Forrest Street in Historic Roswell beginning March 31st. For tickets, reservations and group pricing visit get.org or call 770-641-1260.

Note: There is explicit language in this show, primarily in the second act. Be aware when bringing younger theatre lovers.

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