The Spickner Spin

When you go to a fringe theatre festival it's expected you'll be choosing your entertainment from an assortment of one-person plays, avant-guarde pieces, multi-media productions and cutting edge social commentaries. In such an atmosphere, perhaps the most experimental type of theatre piece you can do nowadays is a traditionally structured, show-tune laden book musical with a ten piece orchestra (no synthesizers), a full singing/dancing/acting chorus and a plot that lightheartedly spoofs American politics without holding a particular politician or party up to ridicule.

Back in the 1930's, before Saturday Night Live and The Onion, theatregoers would often get their political satire by taking in the latest hit Broadway musical. But shows like I'd Rather Be Right and Leave It to Me, big hits in their day, would be quickly be considered unrevivable because, as satire, the issues they dealt with dated quickly. But one exception was the Pulitzer Prize winning Of Thee I Sing, which eschewed taking it's plot from the latest headlines and instead explored the timeless theme of swaying public sympathy. That silly, gentle-humored spirit is re-created in Seth Bisen-Hersh (music and lyrics) and Daniel Scribner's (book and lyrics) charming gumdrop of a musical, The Spickner Spin.

When the slick, handsome political spin doctor Stephen Spickner bets a rival he can get a befuddled, hard-drinking hobo elected mayor of a major metropolis (Musical comedy historians will immediately recognize the parallels to a typical William Gaxton/Victor Moore star vehicle.) it sets us off on a journey through the wonderful world of dirty politics. It's nothing we don't know already, but still a fun ride when guided by a group of deft musical comedy artists. The highly hummable title song spoofs Spickner's skills at making any scandal look like an innocent act. There's a cute makeover number where specialists turn the hobo, named Natty, into something that looks electable. A lively Charleston song and dance has the chorus dressed in t-shirts representing various special interest groups as Natty learns that getting into office is just a matter of making the right friends. Cheryl Swift's choreography is basic, but the musical staging is funny and bright.

Naturally, Spickner falls in love with the pretty, young idealistic civil servant who sings the sensitive ballads, and begins to develop a conscious himself when his hobo does get elected and winds up under the thumb of a deputy mayor even more corrupt than himself. But the city somehow survives in the end.

Although the book, music and lyrics are abundantly clever and cheery, there is some polishing to do, mainly to eliminate the ineffective jokes, the noticeable amount of forced rhyming, and some of the foul language that doesn't seem in sync with the show's otherwise lighthearted mood. The plot trudges along during serious scenes and although the score is pack with good theatre songs there's a definite need for one of those charm songs the lovers can sing and dance to in Act I and reprise in Act II when it looks like all is lost.

But director Andrew Henkes keeps his talented cast involved in funny business often enough to forgive a few slower moments. Patrick Wetzel in the title role is a giddily self-involved song and dance man with Michael Jay Henry warm and goofy as his hobo protege. Seri Johnson makes a sassy Mary Matlin-ish rival, Crystal Scott plays the ingenue with an appealing earnestness and Richard Rowan is a wonderfully bombastic deputy mayor. The chorus not only sounds great together, but each plays an assortment of wacky roles with genuine musical comedy pizazz.

William Duncan's adorable set and prop design reduces every object in the production to a pen and ink cut-out, reinforcing the cartoon spirit of the evening. It's a cynical cartoon, yes. But harmlessly fun.