Review: DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL: DC & PETER'S GLORIOUS ROMP THROUGH THE GOLDEN AGE OF TV THEME SONGS at 42nd Street Moon Delivers a Fizzy Celebration of Pop Culture

42nd Street Moon is concluding its online Moonbeams series on a rather deliciously demented high note with Don't Touch That Dial: DC & Peter's Glorious Romp through the Golden Age of TV Theme Songs. Just like the timeworn sitcoms that generated most of its songs, Don't Touch That Dial wants nothing more than to entertain, packing in dozens of catchy tunes you maybe didn't even know you knew in a fast-moving hourlong fantasia of fizzy humor and gimlet-eyed nostalgia. Although Moon's remit is normally to revisit stage musicals, rather than television shows, this enterprise isn't quite as far afield for them as you might imagine. It, too, comes wrapped in affectionate homage to times past.

Don't Touch That Dial was created by the titular DC Scarpelli and Peter Budinger, who also serve as sort of hosts (and sometimes host and hostess) of the proceedings, beginning with their spot-on Archie and Edith Bunker warbling through "Those Were the Days" from All in the Family, complete with canned applause at the end. From there the show moves briskly through a veritable cavalcade of tunes, concentrating largely on TV shows from the 1960's, 70's and 80's, with some fun surprises thrown in along the way (who knew the Bewitched theme even had lyrics?). To give the show some structure and provide an opportunity for the songs to comment on each other, Scarpelli and Budinger have also created some thematic groupings, such as songs of female empowerment and songs for couples.

As writers, Scarpelli & Budinger come from the Mel Brooks school of comedy where the idea is to keep throwing so many quick jokes out there that at least some of them are bound to land. The whole thing isn't over the top, though. For instance, as if their deadpan rendition of the theme from Eight Is Enough wasn't funny enough, just watch the sly smile on Scarpelli's face as he delights in providing the duo with spritely accompaniment via a glistening triangle. Truly one of the most bizarrely humorous things I've seen in ages. Almost as funny is a Brady Bunch parody with a decidedly multi-racial and multi-gender family making up the 9-person grid, all perfectly mimicking the angelic up, down and sideways glances of the original cast.

One of the more surprisingly creative sequences is a suite of instrumentals sung in vocalese and incorporating some zippy animation. You really haven't lived until you've heard the theme from Hawaii 5-0 sung acapella by a close-harmony sextet. Some delightful recreations of period commercials have also been inserted in the interstices. For those too young to have seen these ads back in the day, let me assure you that the Folger's commercial in particular, while an absolute hoot, is not all that far from the real thing. And a Calgon commercial cleverly allows the show to address a prior era's limited conception of racial representation without lecturing to a contemporary audience.

As is to be expected, not every idea works equally well. For instance, "Love Is All Around" from The Mary Tyler Moore Show is reimagined here as a group number for the women of the cast. I get that it lends the song an underlying message of female strength and solidarity, but it saps the lyrics of their natural bittersweet quality. The show moves so swiftly, though, that even when there's a misfire, it passes by in a nanosecond and they're off to something more diverting before you know it.

Kudos to Moon also for putting together such a large and diverse cast in terms of race, ethnicity, gender presentation, size, age, you name it. It really makes the whole affair feel like a party everyone's been invited to, and where they're all having a fabulous time together. Among the many talented performers, a few do stand out. Real-life couple Alison Ewing and Keith Pinto sing an insanely earnest "Without Us?" from Family Ties, perfectly capturing the breathy, tremulous soft-rock vocal stylings of the early 80's in a beautifully burnished video sequence that suggests a Hallmark card come to life. Somehow the overall effect is laugh-out-loud hilarious, sweetly charming and also, dare I say it, kinda hot. Another highlight is B Noel Thomas belting out the theme song from Good Times. Thomas has the kind of large, flexible voice that can easily Raise the Roof - even through your computer or TV screen. Oh, how I would love to hear that voice live and unmiked in Moon's usual home base at the Gateway Theatre! Hopefully, this show is just a harbinger of the many good things to come as a revitalized Moon returns to doing what it does best later in the year.

(All images courtesy of 42nd Street Moon)

Don't Touch That Dial: DC & Peter's Glorious Romp through the Golden Age of TV Theme Songs is available for streaming through Sunday, June 27, 2021. For tickets and further information, visit www.42ndstreetmoon.org.

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