The [show] is a delightful spoof on Broadway musicals. Don’t let the way-too-clever title of the Oregon Cabaret Theatre’s new offering put you off. It is a valentine without being saccharine and a tribute without being slavish — and great fun.
Whether you have stacks of musicals in your record collection or just enjoy a musical film based on a Broadway hit now and then, you'll definitely enjoy "The Musical of Musicals" which just opened at Oregon Cabaret this weekend.
The [production] has four superb performers, with trained voices and great comic timing... Add Artistic Director Valerie Rachelle’s deft direction and delightful classic choreography, and you get an evening of five clever musical parodies that are entertaining even if you aren’t familiar with all the works being spoofed.
The exceptional cast, accompanied only by pianist Sarah Russow, also the musical director for the show, is worth watching no matter what they're performing. In this hilarious lampoon, it's pure fun.
About the Show
Musical of Musicals is five hilarious musical satires in one:
Corn! is in the style of Rodgers and Hammerstein and features references to The King and I, The Sound of Music, Carousel, Cinderella, Flower Drum Song, Oklahoma!, and South Pacific.
A Little Complex is based upon the musicals of Stephen Sondheim, the composer of Into the Woods, Company, Sweeney Todd, and Sunday in the Park with George, and many more.
Dear Abby parodies the work of Jerry Herman, especially Mame and Hello, Dolly!
Aspects of Junita is in the style of Andrew Lloyd Webber, famed composer of Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and The Phantom of the Opera.
Speakeasy reflects the work of John Kander and Fred Ebb, especially Chicago and OCT's third show of the 2015 season, Cabaret.
The basic plot of all five shows: June is an ingenue who can’t pay the rent and is threatened by her evil landlord. Will the handsome leading man come to the rescue? This comic valentine to musical theatre was the longest running show in the York Theatre Company’s 35-year history before moving Off-Broadway.
Content Guide
Were it a movie, Musical of Musicals would likely be rated PG-13 due to mild profanity and sexual situations. There is no violence or nudity.
Creators Interview
The creators of the show talk about each of the 5 mini-musicals in an interview on their website.
Reviews for Original Production
"The Musical of Musicals - The Musical!" has real wit, real charm, deft performers and no pretensions. This time the audience clapped and laughed because they wanted to." - NY Times
"Parody is a form of lovemaking, and the lover who reveals total understanding is truly blessed. Others may burlesque the topical and the obvious; these two draw blood because they know from whence it flows. They're the musical theater's equivalent of Queneau's Exercices de Style, and I wish I had space to quote a dozen of their shiniest gems." - Village Voice
Tony Carter
Billy
A Las Vegas native with a BFA in musical theatre from Southern Utah University, Tony has performed with the Utah Shakespeare Festival, PCPA Pacific Conservatory Theatre, Utah Festival Opera, Pickleville Playhouse, Starlight Mountain Theatre, and the California Theatre Center.
Laura Derocher
Abby
Philip David Black
Jitter
Philip David Black received his BA in Theatre Performance from Huntington University in Huntington, IN. Since graduating, he has performed with Timber Lake Playhouse, Weathervane Playhouse, Blue Gate Musicals, The Great American Melodrama, and The Barn Theatre. Feel free to check out www.philipdavidblack.com for more information.
Andrea Hilbrant
June
Andrea was featured as Martha Bessel in Valerie Rachelle's production Spring Awakening at PCPA, where she also recently appeared as Julia Melville in The Rivals, Gertie Cummings in Oklahoma and Mrs. Brill in Mary Poppins.
Get your seats early!
...or risk missing out on the fun!