Review: SCOTLAND, PA at Theater Latté Da

It may seem difficult to imagine William Shakespeare’s most tragic play reworked into a comedic rock musical, but as Theater Latté Da’s mounting of Scotland, PA proves, it is a murderously good time.

Set in 1970s small-town Pennsylvania, Mac and Pat work at the local burger joint while having dreams for a better life. Taking Mac’s ideas for how to improve the restaurant, they begin to bring their dreams to life…..even if a few bodies have to hit the floor on their way to the top.

Under the electric direction of Broadway legend, Lonny Price and his co-director Matt Cowart, Scotland, PA comes alive with a tremendous amount of heart, laughs, and tragedy. While the story itself is macabre and tragic, Michael Mitnick’s book flips the script and instead gives us a show that feels like part Sweeney Todd, part Little Shop of Horrors, with a dash of Rock of Ages thrown in for good measure.

If the thunderous laughs and applause that pours out of the theater, proves anything, it is that Scotland, PA is certainly going to go down as one of Latté Da’s most memorable shows in recent memory. It is definitely a show that is worth seeming multiple times, if not just for the overall enjoyment of the piece but also to hear this cast belt out Adam Gwon’s incredibly rich score.

Gwon has crafted the show’s music in such a way that it teleports us back to the 1970s where rock ballads reigned supreme and he has gifted the actors with some of the greatest original rock music to be heard on a stage. It is a crime that there is not a cast album available for the audience to immediately go home and listen to. (Lonny, can you help us out?)

Most notably, the songs that are given to Katherine Fried’s “Pat” are absolutely stunning. From the first notes of her solo song, “What Are We Waitin’ For” to her glorious contributions to the group numbers, the audience is enraptured. Fried is an absolute star on that stage and she knows it.

Slaying alongside her is the ever entertaining Will Dusek. Bringing Mac to life in a tour de force performance that allows him to show off his range. From his humble beginnings of just working in the restaurant to the spurts of madness that consume him, Dusek takes the audience on a true ride. His ease of moving from being a hopeful dreamer to the unhinged business mogul he is destined to become is a spectacular talent and Dusek delivers at every turn.

It would be a downright shame to not mention the hilarious Tom Reed as Banko, the stoned out of his mind, best friend of Mac who just wants to feel included and appreciated. Reed gives one of the funniest performances of the show and he has the audience eating out of the palm of his hand anytime he is in the spotlight. He gets his real moment in the sun with his dynamic and hilarious rendition of “Kick-Ass Party”, where he really gets to lay on the comedy he is so good at delivering.

It is rare nowadays that a show comes along that feels fresh, new, and just plain fun. That is where Scotland, PA comes in, it injects so much life into the modern musical world, that it is impossible not to have a good time while you’re in the theater. The extreme dopamine rush that the audience feels from what they have just experienced could be enough to cause patrons to buy another ticket as they walk out the door. Scotland, PA is not heavy or preachy, it is just a rollicking good time that gets back to what theater is intended for, an escape from our everyday lives.

In case there is any question, this is definitely not your great-great-great-great-great grandmother’s telling of Macbeth but, rest assured, it is the most fun you will have in a theater in recent memory. It’s provides the perfect combination of comedy, horror, incredible music, and memorable performances. It really is a burger….uh…show to remember.

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