Drew Gillis — Theater Critic

The reason that Slam Frank succeeds in this territory is because its real target is not politics—though it’s not shy on that front—but performance and theater itself. The show, written by composer Andrew Fox and librettist Joel Sinensky, has contempt for contemporary commercial theater that clearly comes from a place of deep respect for the form. There’s a realism, or perhaps a pessimism, in the denouement about theater’s ability to affect change. It’s a medium that’s constrained by geography and prohibitively expensive for large swaths of people. But given just how confrontational the show gets, Fox and Sinensky clearly still think it’s worth trying. Slam Frank probably won’t change the world. Maybe it’ll change theater, and maybe it won’t. But I can’t think of anything else I’ve seen on stage this year that has occupied so much of my mental space after I left the room.

Perhaps the most shocking thing about this transfer is how little of the text has been changed between the two versions; even specific dance moves (as deployed in “With All Of Your Heart”) and orchestrations have been transposed directly from the Apple TV series. (Melissa does get a new 11 o’clock number, a worthwhile addition.) Changing the medium casts Paul’s existing work in a much more positive, loving light. Schmigadoon! is not just referential but reverential to the shows it wants to parody. This production is made with real craft and care. After two seasons and an out-of-town tryout, Schmigadoon! crossed the bridge from a place with scrolling credits and autoplay to one with an intermission and applause breaks, landing in the place it was supposed to be all along.

Perhaps the most shocking thing about this transfer is how little of the text has been changed between the two versions; even specific dance moves (as deployed in “With All Of Your Heart”) and orchestrations have been transposed directly from the Apple TV series. (Melissa does get a new 11 o’clock number, a worthwhile addition.) Changing the medium casts Paul’s existing work in a much more positive, loving light. Schmigadoon! is not just referential but reverential to the shows it wants to parody. This production is made with real craft and care. After two seasons and an out-of-town tryout, Schmigadoon! crossed the bridge from a place with scrolling credits and autoplay to one with an intermission and applause breaks, landing in the place it was supposed to be all along.