Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Go big or go home: The musical parodies THE BIG GAY JAMBOREE and GHOST OF JOHN MCCAIN swing big to varying success

• By drediman
• October 9, 2024
• No Comments

This fall, a pair of Off-Broadway musical parodies are swinging big to lure in audiences. Read on for my thoughts on these larger-than-life productions.

THE BIG GAY JAMBOREE
Orpheum Theatre
Open run

As one of the primary masterminds behind the inspired musical parody Titanique (which continues to go strong Off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theatre), Marla Mindelle knows she has a good thing going. Therefore unsurprisingly, she’s doubled down hard on the same brand of flamboyancy in The Big Gay Jamboree (RECOMMENDED), her new creation which officially opened on Sunday night at the Orpheum Theatre in the East Village. In her latest, the deliriously silly writer/actress — together with co-bookwriter Jonathan Parks-Ramage and co-songwriter Philip Drennen — have broadened their scope beyond direct piggy-backing satire, concocting a totally original musical complete with an original premise and original new songs. Taking inspiration in equal measure from Sondheim’s “quest” musical Into the Woods and seminal sci-fi flicks like The Matrix and The Truman Show, the piece depicts the adventures of an aspiring actress — giddily played by Mindelle — who finds herself trapped in a golden age musical (or some warped proximity of it). Although the whole thing is little more than an excuse to roast and parody — be forewarned, no one is left unscathed, no matter what your background is or what you identify as — the musical, if a tad padded, coheres joyously through the complete communion between performers and audience members through a collective appreciation of the ludicrousness of it all. For extra measure, there’s even a little bit of authentic heart thrown into the mix. Throughout, Mindelle and her creative team and on point cast have their finger dead on the pulse of their target audience, appealing to connoisseurs of musical theater and the 21st gay culture alike.

GHOST OF JOHN MCCAIN
SoHo Playhouse
Through October 13

Then over at Off-Broadway’s SoHo Playhouse, fans of musical satire also have the opportunity to feast on Ghost of John McCain (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED), which features a book by Scott Elmegreen and songs by Drew Fornarolaare. As elaborately conceived, the work finds the ghost of John McCain checking into a menacing hotel — which actually turns out to be the mind of Donald Trump (!) — alongside a number of other recognizable political and popular culture figures. Despite its intriguing premise, the work is ultimately bogged down by the sense that the creators are throwing spaghetti on the wall (even the Phantom of the Opera and Evita oddly make an appearance, perhaps to appease musical theater afficionados). The parade of intentionally juvenile vaudevillian numbers — the musical does take place in Trump’s brain, after all — give it the old college try, but only occasionally is the audience fully in on the joke. The piece suffers from a muddled point of view, making it difficult to tell the difference between straight-up parody and a more specific perspective of the parody via Trump’s imagination. Nevertheless, there are occasional glimmers of genuine inspiration, mostly courtesy of prop and costume sight gags. In the title role, Broadway’s boyish, sweet-voiced Jason Tam makes a brave go at it, somehow even succeeding in bringing a bit of grounded humanity to his portrayal of the late Senator and Presidential Candidate. However, despite the efforts of a game, hardworking cast, the ultimately misconceived Ghost of John McCain registers as a soggy fantasia that outsays its welcome.