Spamilton Review – A Spoof on Broadway

Dedrick A. Bonner in SPAMILTON - Photo by Craig Schwartz.
Spread the love

Are you ready for a side-splitting parody on all things Broadway? Then you’re ready for SPAMILTON. Created, written, and directed by Gerard Alessandrini, SPAMILTON takes an irreverent – and hilarious – look at Broadway, what it has been and what it has become. In 2016, SPAMILTON premiered off-Broadway to terrific reviews – and ended up winning the Off-Broadway Alliance “Best Unique Theatrical Experience” Award, as well as a Special Tony Award for Excellence in the Theatre. This is a must-see hit, and it’s not even necessary to see “Hamilton” first to enjoy every minute of it.

L-R: Wilkie Ferguson III, John Devereaux, William Cooper Howell, Zakiya Young and Dedrick A. Bonner –
Photo by Craig Schwartz.

No show is safe from SPAMILTON’s arrows, so quiet down all you Rodgers and Hammersteins. Gilberts and Sullivans, Sondbergs – and all the other composers, musicians, and even stars that get their five minutes of fame in this show. So just smile and enjoy it, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Carol Channing, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, and all you other music luminaries. As the New York Times review opined, SPAMILTON has “a smart, silly, often convulsively funny thesis.” What was Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the colossal stage hit “Hamilton” thinking when he devised a rap musical for the Broadway scene? Was he trying to drag Broadway into the twenty-first century? Or was he simply looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

L-R: Zakiya Young, John Devereaux, William Cooper Howell, Dedrick A. Bonner and Wilkie Ferguson III –
Photo by Craig Schwartz.

This is a fast-paced, rollicking production with brilliant lyrics sandwiched between scenes from some of Broadway’s finest. Kudos to Gerard Alessandrini for thinking this show up, writing it down, and then directing the splendid, never-tiring, completely enthusiastic cast, including Dedrick A. Bonner, John Devereaux, William Cooper Howell, and Wilie Ferguson III – with very special numbers by Glenn Bassett as King George and Susanne Blakeslee and Zakiya Young as pretty much every heralded female musical artist around.

L-R: Wilkie Ferguson III, Zakiya Young and Dedrick A. Bonner –
Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Music director James Lent does a great job of keeping the songs coming. And let’s not forget choreography by Gerry McIntyre, costumes by Dustin Cross, lighting by Karyn D. Lawrence, and sound by Adam Phalen. The set is simple, perhaps because the clever and provocative words, coupled with sly wit and lots of very physical action, fully focus the audience’s attention from start to finish.

Glenn Bassett ad King George – Photo by Craig Schwartz.

SPAMILTON is highly entertaining, consistently uproarious, quirky, and often off-the-wall. This is a production well worth a visit to the Kirk Douglas Theatre and shouldn’t be missed.

SPLASH SELECTION

SPAMILTON runs through December 31, 2017, with performances at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sundays. The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232. Tickets range from $25 to $70. For information and reservations, call 213-628-2772 or go online.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*