Review: WE AIN’T EVER GONNA BREAK UP: THE HYMON AND PARFUNKEL MUSICAL at Village Theatre

Dear Readers, the bio-musical is a tricky thing.  Some love them, some hate them.  For me, it all depends on if you have an affinity for the music of the subjects, plus it needs a strong book.  And then there’s the current show from Village Theatre, “We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon and Parfunkel Musical”, a show bold enough to create a made-up songwriting duo and spend their time poking fun at the genre they attempt to fit into, the bio-musical.  But, without recognizable songs to hook you, we’re left with the strength of the book.  Luckily the book is hilarious, assuming you’re a fan of the well-crafted groaner.  Which I am.

We’re introduced to the most famous (fictional) songwriting duo ever, Hymon and Parfunkel (Gregg Hammer and Louis Pardo, who also wrote the book, music and lyrics).  They’re here to tell us of the tumultuous road their duo traversed, ultimately leading to their biggest hit, “We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up”.  And, you guessed it, during the course of the show we see how through betrayal, addiction, and songs about dead horses, (spoiler alert) they do eventually break up. 

Now, a show like this could be a one-trick pony (sorry for the repeated horse references).  It could be one joke driven into the ground.  But Hammer and Pardo have masterfully spun that one joke off into several directions, creating a wonderfully varied timeline.  Yes, one of the duo does seem to come off better than the other while ultimately being the downfall of the other, but those bumps in their relationship are as varied as they are ridiculous.  I honestly didn’t know people could become addicted to carnival games. 

Beyond the hilarious book we have the hysterical songs that span several-ish decades and their love of those various genres of music show through with how well they satirize them.  We go from folk, to Christian, to rock and even a really inappropriate hip hop number.  And that could be the through-line for all the humor of the show, inappropriate.  And personally, I love that inappropriate humor. 

Besides being gifted writers, Hammer and Pardo are supremely gifted performers, tackling multiple characters throughout, and never letting the show or energy lag, I’m sure in part to their director Scott Weinstein.  This is one of those shows where you just need to let go of your inhibitions and hang on for dear life. 

I will call out one downfall of the night as the pace is so breakneck with songs that you can’t possibly be familiar with, that sometimes the lyrics got a bit lost.  And in a show where the humor is a large part of the lyrics, we don’t want to miss a thing.  I could chalk this up to opening night nerves and hopefully later they can settle in and help those utterly wrong jokes land a bit easier. 

But qualms aside, this is a super fun romp through the history of a duo that never was and possibly never should have been.  I caught this back in 2024 when it was part of Village’s Festival of New Musicals, and I’m so glad they brought it back with a much more fleshed out production.  And so, with my three-letter rating system, I give Village Theatre’s production of “We Ain’t Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon and Parfunkel Musical” an “oh God, they didn’t just say that!” YAY.  Yes, bio-musicals can be problematic, so why not shine a spotlight on those problems and have a few utterly tasteless laughs along the way.

More on Village Theatre

Upcoming Shows

Grease

5/9 - 5/31/2026

We Ain't Ever Gonna Break Up: The Hymon and Parfunkel Musical

5/19 - 6/21/2026

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