Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Sarah Silverman’s amusing stage adaptation of her coming-of-age memoir THE BEDWETTER continues to be a work in progress

• By drediman
• July 4, 2022
• No Comments

I recently had a chance to take in Sarah Silverman’s highly anticipated stage adaptation of her 2010 memoir The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee. The resulting musical, now simply known as The Bedwetter, is currently enjoying a sold out Off-Broadway run at Atlantic Theater Company’s Linda Gross Theater. The work – which features a book by Ms. Silverman and award winning playwright Joshua Harmon, as well as a score by Adam Schlesinger (music and lyrics) and Ms. Silverman (additional lyrics) – portrays the highs and lows of Sarah Silverman’s childhood, particularly as it pertains to her embarrassing case of bedwetting.

For the Chelsea-based Atlantic, the musical comes on the heels of the hit musical adaptation of Kimberly Akimbo, another offbeat coming-of-age musical. Unfortunately, at least in its current state, The Bedwetter lacks that other work’s unalloyed charm and emotional resonance (Kimberly Akimbo is deservedly transferring to Broadway in the fall). Ms. Silverman and Mr. Harmon’s book is laced with the kind of amusing off-color humor – much of which comes out of left field – for which the Emmy-winning comedian is known for. That being said, there’s an overarching feeling that the work continues to be a work in progress and is still need of further shaping by director Anne Kauffman and her creative team. For example, both acts end somewhat abruptly without the emotional punch you’d expect, and the tuneful if generic score needs a few additional songs to flesh out the characters more.

Despite my reservations, there’s no denying the caliber of the cast, which features the likes of such established musical theater veterans as Bebe Neuwirth and Cassie Levy as Sarah’s mother and grandmother, respectively (note that Jessica Vosk and Elizabeth Ward Land will take over these roles for the final week of the show’s extended run). Both are fantastic, by the way, giving performances that imbue their characters with more depth than the writing would lead you to expect. Best of all, however, is the young Zoe Glick in the titular role. Simultaneously vulnerable and precociously sassy, Ms. Glick’s carries the show on her tiny shoulders on the strength of the heart and comic vibrancy of her performance.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

THE BEDWETTER
Off-Broadway, Musical
Atlantic Theater Company
2 hours (with one intermission)
Through July 10