Season 2, Episode 5: Behind every summer is a community that keeps Fire Island alive. This episode explores the history of the beloved Pines Pantry through the eyes of its iconic Pantry Girls, alongside the volunteer firefighters of The Pines and Cherry Grove who protect the island from fires, hurricanes, beach erosion, and an uncertain future.
Review: BROADWAY BLOODBATH Puts Comedy Center Stage at The Laurie Beechman
A new musical sketch comedy show tests the cabaret waters.
By: Stephen Mosher
The Laurie Beechman Theatre is usually the home to a series of splashy music events ranging from rock singers to jazz artists to cabaret shows, but it is not exclusively a music venue. No, no. There have been storytelling shows, readings, tryouts of new musicals, and, this week, the basement club on 42nd Street opened a new sketch comedy show titled BROADWAY BLOODBATH. That is to say, I THINK it was a sketch comedy show. My plus-one for last night’s performance was BroadwayWorld correspondent Ricky Pope, who actually works in the theater as a Musical Director, and who is more educated and savvy than I, and when we left the club, he referred to Broadway Bloodbath as a revue. I felt dumb, but I asked if he was sure, and he said yes, so I concede to The Pope. But whatever the programming was, specifically, whether it was a revue or a sketch show, Broadway Bloodbath was funny. And funny is as funny does.
Now, you will notice that this review has very few photos. That is because there was an announcement at the show’s start forbidding the taking of photographs. I’m a by-the-rules boy (usually), so I stuck (mostly) to the commandment… but I did need photos for this review. I figured the reluctance to have pictures out there online was so that the sight gags and comedy bits weren’t spoiled (and there are SCADS of sight gags and comedy bits) - and I don’t ever want to be the guy who spoiled the joke for a future audience. So I took a handful of photos of the actors when they were dressed in middle-of-the-road outfits doing middle-of-the-road things, so as to protect the integrity of the show for the guests who will attend one of the remaining performances (though I kind of think the photos might have sold a ticket or two… but whatcha gonna do?). So please allow me to use my words and tell you what Broadway Bloodbath has to offer.
Broadway Bloodbath is a brand new show that The Beechman is hoping to make an annual Halloween outing. It has a cast of six extremely talented actors and a band of three supremely talented musicians. Directed by The Beechman’s own Michael D’Angora, the show is made up of 14 segments made up of little mini-plays with songs, the intention of which is (most of the time) to get the crowd to laugh. Last night, the crowd laughed. They didn’t laugh continually, and they didn’t always laugh at the same time, but they laughed. Yes, there were some swings, there were some hits, there were some misses. That happens with comedy. And at comedy shows, I don’t go by what I laugh at or don’t laugh at because I have a peculiar sense of humor - I go by what the audience laughs at; and, at Broadway Bloodbath, there were bona fide laughs, sometimes shouts, but there were also quieter moments during the comedy sketches… and that’s ok. Sometimes you have a thinking audience. Sometimes you have an audience that doesn’t get all the references. And there are a LOT of references in Broadway Bloodbath. Some of the nods are to the movie industry, some are to pop culture references; some are political, some are topical without involving politics. But most of what these creatives are spoofing is Broadway-related, so the laughter is going to vary on a case-by-case basis. And, again, that’s ok. Last night's audience was with this cast, and they were laughing. Going on a case-by-case basis (and, here, I AM going on my own experience), I’ve never seen the movie WEAPONS, so I didn’t quite get all of the comedy in the “Aunt Gladys At Liberty” sketch… but I DID get all of the Elaine Stritch references, so that skit was a win. And when there was a series of spoofs of various movies, I knew two of the three films that were being referenced, so that was a win, too. But when they lampooned the influencer called “The Sweaty Oracle” and Matthew Morrison’s 9/11 number from his club act, I was one of a handful of people crying out from their seats, because I DO know those references, and I really do mean it: we were crying out from our chairs. This is the roll of the dice that is comedy, whether a troupe is doing parody, satire, or spoof (all of which pop up at one time or another during this show), and if the jokes land three-quarters of the time with the general audience, you’re doing the work - and three-quarters of the time, last night, the crowd was with them. The patrons were paying attention, even during the musical numbers, to which there was an additional hit-or-miss element, though there were more things that landed than not. The major strength of the musical portions of the evening was that each song being parodied was exactly right enough to tell the audience, very clearly, what its source material was. That's not an easy thing to do, and this team of composers met the challenge.
For their musical sketch comedy revue, the writers (of which there are many) and the actors (of which there are only six, plus a special guest), touch upon Two Strangers Carry A Cake, the TDF costume collection, Annie, an obsession with Sondheim, Oh, Mary, Liza Minnelli, and Little Shop of Horrors, and, in every case, the skits are accessible, with the Liza Minnelli segment (penned by Michael D’Angora, who carries a producing for the show) scoring high marks because it is (in vulgar parlance) effing brillz, thanks to the inimitable Miss Christine Pedi, who appears via video (as do Nikki Blonski and Richard Ridge). Highlights in the production are a scathing skit centered around The Kennedy Center (as played by Jaime Lyn Beatty, who also aced a Mary Magdalene skit), and a touchingly lovely number by Danny Salles and Lena Gabrielle titled “Ghostlight” that is played sincerely by sweet-faced (and voiced) Anthony Zambito. Indeed, each cast member has a chance to shine in the show - William M. Martin has some big vocals in the Little Shop segment (though he needs to ditch the script), Gabriella Joy Rodriguez serves comedy in both the Two Strangers and TDF segments, Gabriella Mariella speed-sings her way through the Sondheim sketch, and Taylor Crousore nails the Matthew Morrison skit… to the wall. One suspects that the bloodbath in the show's title refers to the evisceration that Morrison and The Sweaty Oracle get, because, in truth, there isn’t actually a lot of Halloween content. Yes - the show touches on horror movie tropes here and there, there is talk of costumes, shows mentioned include “Bloody Oh Mary,” Rocky Horror, and Little Shop, Aunt Gladys is heavily featured, and so is the scariest thing of all - Donald Trump. But, other than the spooky decorations, there’s not a lot of Halloween here… which should make it easy to carry this show over into the Thanksgiving season, the Christmas season, the New Year’s holiday, the Valentine’s Day celebration, and so on, and so forth, if the company should so wish. As long as the cast of six and the writers of plenty continue to keep the comedy fresh, keep it tight (after tightening up a smidgeon), and keep it relatable, there isn’t any reason why the Broadway Bloodbath shouldn’t just be an annual thing, as much as a seasonal thing. So don’t say boo, say yay.
The wonderful Broadway Bloodbath band is made up of Meghan Doyle on Drums, Ryan McCurdy on Bass, and Lene Gabrielle conducting from the Piano.
After each performance, audience members are given a set list that details the names of all the writers, sketches and songs, as well as the cast and creative team.
Broadway Bloodbath plays The Laurie Beechman on October 25, 26, and 29 at various times. Check the Laurie Beechman website HERE for times. Each performance of Broadway Bloodbath features a Broadway guest artist. Opening night, October 22nd, featured Matt Doyle. Last night's guest was Nora Schell. Guests still to come are Carlie Craig (10/25 7 pm), Justin Sargent (10/26), and Janine LaManna (10/29).
Photos by Stephen Mosher
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