Review: DISASTER! at Arizona Broadway Theatre

SPOILER ALERT: Have funny bone at the ready. Leave brain behind. Wear laugh jacket and be prepared to fall overboard into a sea of gags.

“Tis the season for silly! Arizona Broadway Theatre is filling the silly bill and offering a boatload of laughs (some strained) in its wacky production of DISASTER!

With a plot line that is basically a shipwreck, the show glories in a lineup of exquisite voices and an ensemble that kicks butt in executing over-the-top antics almost worthy of the Keystone Kops.

Boasting a hit list of 33 golden oldies, the show delivers samplers of each ~ teasers, so to speak, that prompt you to rush home and command Siri or Alexa to run them in their entirety. They are situational riffs (kinda like what Catherine Johnson did for Mamma Mia!) ~ tunes that fit the twists and turns that creator Seth Rudetsky angled for a dozen years ago in his homage to the disaster films of the 1970’s (like Jaws, Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Earthquake). 

While the concept is promising, the execution is like the waves of the ocean ~ at moments swelling with waves of belting voices and energetic hamming; at moments ebbing and descending into the trenches of tired and predictable tropes.

A parody of this sort could have provided some cresting opportunities for fresh and inventive humor, but Rudetsky and co-writer Jack Plotnick (complemented with additional material from Drew Geraci) copped out by recycling clichés and stereotypes that have been beaten to death in countless other comedic productions.

Think about it: A line like, “Menopause was developed to punish women” doesn’t ring with originality and simply elicits a groan. Likewise, a woman backing into her guy and asking, “What's that, Harry?” ~ that’s old and past its time. On the other hand, you may wonder how “Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga’ fits into a story line, but, suddenly and surprisingly, you get hooked on the feeling.

The set design and special effects are minimal. With a modest representation of a casino setting and the use of stage mechanics to simulate the various disasters that befall the passengers, the effects are simple but clever.

All of which is to say that the real treat of this production ~ the thing that jazzes up your spirits and forgives the trite humor and punchlines ~ is the showcase of impressive talent. If you’re looking for character development, forget about it. Set your sights instead on knockout turns by one after another of rich singular performances and vigorous choreography (as ever, kudos to Kurtis W. Overby).

For this ill-fated voyage, Rudetsky’s passenger list includes a well-seasoned mix of characters. There’s not a one in this ensemble that doesn’t deliver the goods and deserve a rousing applause for making the best of the farce: Alyssa Armstrong bringing charm and grace as Marianne, a reporter who unexpectedly meets the guy whom she jilted at the altar in favor of pursuing her career; Christian Fary as Tony Delvecchio, the manipulative owner of the ship’s casino; Cara Chumbley as Jackie Noelle, the lounge singer with an eye on Tony; Brooklyn Grace (delivering a powerhouse rendition of Do You Know Where You’re Going To!!) as a singer  looking for a rebound in her career; Carolyn McPhee (what a comedic sensibility!) and Wes Martin, playing off each other with credible and touching fidelity as a married couple. What an eruption of talent!

Rounding out this cast and putting the icing on its multi-layered cake of talent are three standout performances. Gold stars to Joe Ogren, Emilee Clapp, and Lynzee Foreman!

Ogren plays the role of Chad Rubick, the ship’s caterer and the guy that Marianne jilted. The awkward moment of their chance meeting and her apology is followed by a bathroom scene that is as loaded with bitter as it is with sweet. Ogren sings his heart out in a truth-telling belt of Without You ~ not the first nor the last time that Ogren holds the audience’s full attention with his commanding presence.

Emilee Clapp is a star in the making, proving her comedic chops with a compelling turn in a dual role as Jackie’s twins, Ben and Lisa. It is no small task to differentiate convincingly between brother and sister (the prop is a hat with pigtails), but Clapp excels in doing so, ensuring that each twin carries different mannerisms and voices. Brilliant!

If there is another force of nature that storms the stage, it is Lynzee Foreman. As a very different kind of singing nun, she pulls every string of her guitar and every rosary bead to pull of a miraculous performance as a gal with a jones for the slots. She is masterful in bringing panache and wit to her role. Her approach-avoidance interlude with a beckoning machine is nothing short of hilarious and magical. She overrides temptation but not without a tempestuous and sensual Never Can Say Goodbye. In many ways, she is the habit-forming element that ties the show together.

By the end of the musical, the seas settle, nature’s calamities abate, life (well, almost all life) goes on, and the sun shines through. And, after all is said and done, if you’re not exhausted from the turbulence, you’re still glad you came for a welcome break from the noise and heat outside.

DISASTER! runs through September 15th in Arizona Broadway Theatre’s Mainstage Theatre.

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