BWW Reviews: EATING RAOUL Serves Up Murderous Madness
With a last name like "Bland," you'd never pick Mary and Paul for sinister scheming. But plotting abounds in Eating Raoul, the musical adaption of the 1980's cult classic at the New Century Theater.
Paul Bland, played by Anthony Sofie, is convincingly dull but his wife, Mary, played by Jessica Holtan Breed, can't quite hide her magnetism behind blandness. The couple is chasing their own version of the American dream: a quaint restaurant away from the sexually liberated swingers in their apartment building. When Paul accidentally kills a predatory neighbor making a move on Mary, the Blands' discover swingers have money burning holes in their pockets. The secretly conniving Mary suggests a rather untraditional way to finance their restaurant. Enter Gregory Adam as Raoul: the dramatic janitor/ nightclub singer and third player in the Blands' conspiracy, catapulting the plot onto another level.
The mod style of the show was showcased by the bright costumes and jazzy music while the staging and choreography made the story larger than life. Directed by Ryan McGuire Grimes and choreographed by Loretta Miller, Minneapolis Musical Theater delivers melodramatic moments made for the cult classic lover. It was kitschy, at times just plain silly, and truly hilarious.
Constantly changing characters, the fabulous ensemble delivered some of the funniest moments of the show. Donna the Dominatrix and her TV show made for swingers earned hearty laughter. An old Hollywood satire routine brought down the house with a cross dressing tap dancing Ginger Rogers, shortly before the romantic triangle between Paul, Mary and Raoul reaches its inevitable dramatic turn.
The smoldering singing and dancing Raoul (Adam) was a showstopper in number after number, particularly the title song filled with fast paced lyrics and attempts at seducing Mary. Mary (Breed) hits the high note of the show in the climactic "One Last Bop," where she finds the perfect melodramatic chords as she picks between the men in her life.
The trios where the three leads sang different lyrics to further their own story were fantastic. The clever dialogue and wit of the movie seemed to be made for a musical adaption.
Eating Raoul serves up a night of hilarious murderous madness, with hints of Little Shop of Horrors and Sweeney Todd. For those who like a hint of the macabre with their dirty jokes and melodramatic scenes, it's not to be missed. Even those who prefer the bland shouldn't miss this one.
Photo Credit: Byron Ritter
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