Review: IT'S-A-ME, A MUSICAL! at Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre

What do you get when you take the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie and turn it into a musical? It's-a-Me, a Musical! from Albino Squirrel Productions.

The show is based on the infamous movie that has become something of a cult favorite over the years. Rather than trying to fix everything that made the original movie so strange, the musical embraces it and has fun with it.

Lowell Rice plays Mario and Christian LaBissoniere plays Luigi, with Jenny Reierson-Naumann as Daisy. James Ehlenz plays Bowser, while Rynn Deegan and John Naumann take on Wario and Waluigi. The cast clearly enjoys playing these larger-than-life characters, and that energy comes through.

The show has four original songs, along with plenty of video game references and familiar Mushroom Kingdom characters. It is the kind of production where knowing the games and remembering the 1993 movie will probably make the jokes even more fun.

Rice and LaBissoniere make a good Mario and Luigi, and the supporting cast keeps the show moving. Ehlenz gets to have fun as Bowser, while Jenn Rathsack brings the choreography to the production.

Lindsey Bushnell directs, with Bryn Tanner serving as writer and producer. Trevor Woggon and James Ehlenz handle the music direction, with Woggon also serving as composer. Carlee Wehrman's costumes help bring the video game characters to the stage, and Kevin Lindee serves as stage manager.

One of the best things about the show is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. This is a musical based on a movie that was already pretty strange, and the production knows that. Instead of trying to make the story something it isn't, the cast leans into the silliness.

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