The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)

Synopsis

The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) is a musical about musicals. In a comic satire of musical theatre genres, one story becomes five musicals. Each has the distinctive style of a different master of the form. The collision of the worlds of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Kander and Ebb results in an evening of original (although utterly derivative) music and lyrics talking a satirical swipe at that most beloved of all theatrical forms. June, an ingénue who can't pay the rent, is threatened by her evil landlord. Will the handsome leading man come to her rescue? In an evening of variations on a theme, this basic plot is musicalised the way Rodgers and Hammerstein might have envisioned it, taking place in Kansas in August, complete with a Dream Ballet. The story is then re-created in the style of Stephen Sondheim, featuring the landlord as a tortured, artistic genius who slashes the throats of his tenants in revenge because they don't appreciate his art. When presented in the style of Jerry Herman, the story becomes a splashy star vehicle, while the Andrew Lloyd Webber version is a rock musical, with borrowed themes from Puccini. The story is re-told one last time in the style of Kander and Ebb, set in a speakeasy in Chicago.

Our Review:

11 December 2006

If music be the food of love… and there’s certainly a lot of love for all things musical theatre in Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart’s off-Broadway hit The Musical of Musicals (The Musical), which has returned to Islington’s King’s Head for a Christmas run following its UK premiere at the Sound theatre earlier this year.

The lively revue-style show sees a simple story line – girl can’t pay rent to evil landlord and needs to be saved by dashing leading man – presented in five different versions, each one “lovingly ripped-off” (well, if they can do it…) from musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Kander and Ebb.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein-inspired piece features plenty of songs about birds and corn, and a hero called “Big Willy”, which sets the tone for the ensuing musical pastiches that contain as much double-entendre and famous c...

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Latest User Review

172.207.245.248) - 19 January 2007:

Five stars and worth every one of them. Fabulous! One of the best shows on in town at the moment. Admittedly it helps to have a grasp of musical theatre to get the most out of it but, even without that one will still be delighted with the outstanding performances from Paul baker, Julie-Alanah Brighten, Susannah Fellows and Ian McLarnon. The writers Eric Rockwell,(music) and, Joanne Bogart, (lyrics) - whom I had the good fortune to chat with on 9th Ave NYC after seeing them perform the show at the Dodgers in 2005 - have created a brilliant, witty, pastiche of those musicals we all really adore. It is undoubtly a very NY show - they do these things so much better than us -but, here the British cast have triumphed and I would say surpassed the NY originals (sorry writers!). It must get a transfer - the Criterion would be perfect after 39 Steps closes. So come on Cameron or Bill take a punt I am sure it would pay back handsomely and think what a service you will have done to lovers of musical theatre in this country. ...

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