Review: MYSTIC PIZZA at Ordway

If you like ’80s and ’90s music, there’s a lot to enjoy in Mystic Pizza, now playing at the Ordway.

Based on the 1988 movie, the musical follows Daisy, Kat and Jojo, three friends working at a pizza shop in Mystic, Connecticut, as they deal with relationships, family and figuring out what they want out of life.

Chloë Lezotte, Kendall Becerra and Lexxi Frilles play the three friends, and they work well together. Each character has her own personality, but the friendship between the three remains at the center of the show.

The cast also includes Jack Baylis as Charles, Matt Woodward as Bill and Tieisha Thomas as Leona. At the performance I attended, Travis Flynt went on for Mike Leadbetter. Flynt is a swing with the production and handled the role well.

Of course, the music is a huge part of the appeal. The show includes songs like “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Manic Monday,” “Hold On,” “Lost in Your Eyes,” “Mad About You” and “Take My Breath Away.” Hearing these songs performed live brings a lot of nostalgia, and there were several times when I caught myself recognizing a song as soon as the first few notes started.

The show doesn't take itself too seriously, which works. There’s plenty of humor mixed in with the relationships and more serious moments, and the familiar music keeps things moving.

While the original movie is still the heart of Mystic Pizza, the musical has enough of its own personality to stand on its own. It’s less about recreating the movie scene-for-scene and more about taking the characters and putting them into a jukebox musical filled with songs audiences already know.

For anyone who remembers the movie—or just enjoys this era of music—Mystic Pizza makes for an enjoyable evening at the Ordway. It’s nostalgic, light and filled with songs that are hard not to sing along with, at least in your head.

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