Review: DISASTER! THE MUSICAL at Ridgefield Theater Barn

If you’re looking for “Hot Stuff, baby” tonight, you’ll want to go to the Ridgefield Theater Barn for its 62nd season opener, Disaster: The Musical. The 2013 musical by Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick is an ingenious, side-splitting parody that combines the disaster movies and disco songs that came out in the 1970s.

That combination is perfect, especially with Claudia Noel Nerreau’s well-designed set and how it’s used under the direction and choreography of Dani Roth-Hanley and additional dance by Dr. Merryl Polak. Add to that exceptional lighting design by Mark Hankla and sound design by Matthew MacGregor, and you will have a tough time believing that the Ridgefield Theater Barn is a community theater.

Let’s get on board. It is 1979. People are at the floating Barracuda Casino and discothèque, the brainchild of Tony Delvecchio (Matt Donovan). Tony is wily, and he is trying desperately to cut corners so that the Barracuda Casino will yield enough profit to pay off his debt. He dangles a proposal in front of Jackie Noelle (Melissa McGuire) so he doesn’t have to pay her to perform, and she believes she will finally have a stable life for her twins Ben and Lisa. The roles of Ben and Lisa are played by one performer. In this production, Cora Martin and Gracie Rizzo play the twins on different nights, dressed the same and dexterously changing from Ben to Lisa with a cap and wig.

The problems begin almost immediately. Against the song “Hot Stuff,” Chad Rubik (Kevin McNulty) and his best friend Scott (Caleb Harris) are looking for hot women, Tony orders the Chef (Craig David Rosen) to ditch the cold food and bring out hot food, and Professor Ted Scheider (David Michael Tate) is sampling the hot water that’s keeping the Barracuda afloat. Scheider, a disaster expert since his wife died in a volcano, warns Tony that because the ship was built on a fault line and the vibrations from people’s dancing will trigger an earthquake. Tony throws him out, but Ted keeps reappearing to predict one disaster after another. Marianne Wilson (Clara Sussman) is a no-nonsense city inspector who tries to get answers about the ship’s safety from Tony. It isn’t, but Tony lies. And who should Marianne run into but Chad the fiancé she once jilted so she could have a career.

Also on the Barracuda are Sister Mary Downey (Ashley McLeod) predicting gloom and doon while hiding her gambling addiction, Shirley and Maury (Marilyn Olsen and Bill Warncke), a longtime happily married couple, Levora Verona (Laura Gulliver), a washed-out disco star, a rich couple (Rick Hodder and Denise Milmerstadt), Jake (Edwin Rodriguez), Tony’s personal bodyguard. Jennifer Delancey-Agro, Margaux Champon, Jennifer Baran-Persaud, Margaux Champon, and Calista Giroux complete the ensemble.

The rest of the disasters follow the earthquake – a tidal wave, sharks, killer rats, killer bees, fires, and man-eating piranhas. Yes, the plot is over the top and the characters are larger than life, but all in a clever way, especially since they go well with many of the songs. The song “Knock on Wood” starts when all the characters knock on wood for varied reasons. When Jackie helps Ben spell Saturday Night, everyone starts to sing “Saturday Night.” And everyone gets to shine with songs and dance. This is an incredibly talented cast, not just in singing and dancing, but in the expressions on the performers’ faces as the disasters occurred.

Mark Hankla and Matthew MacGregor are behind the scenes, but their expert lighting and sound design were a huge part in Disaster! The lighting had to convey the motion of the ship as well as the storm, the lights going out, and the fires. There was no room for error in synchronizing the sound with the lighting. There are a lot of props in this fast-paced show, so kudos to props master Gina Pulice. Emily Lungarini led the eight-piece orchestra. This is a challenging show to stage, but the entire backstage designers and crew rose to that challenge.

Disaster! The Musical will run from September 18th through October 10th. Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are $45.00 for adults and $40.00 for seniors, students, and veterans. For the Sunday, September 27th matinee, you can pay what you want. There is cabaret-style seating. Doors open one hour before the show starts, so bring your dinner and beverages. Tickets and additional information are available at www.ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org. The address is 37 Halpin Place in Ridgefield.

Finally, we were thrilled to learn that the show was completely sponsored by the Ridgefield Thrift Shop. It is one of the best places to hunt for treasures among apparel, jewelry, and accessories as well as beautiful things for the home. Purchases help provide scholarships and financial support for local non-profit organizations including The Ridgefield Theatre Barn. You can visit the Ridgefield Thrift Shop before the show on Fridays and Saturdays between noon and 4:00 p.m. It is located at 21B Governor Street in the Donnelly Plaza in Ridgefield. www.ridgefieldthriftshop.com.