Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
I saw this hilarious, naughty, risqué, jaw-dropping, and surprisingly tender one-act laugh riot on Sept. 29 at the Orpheum Theatre in New York’s East Village. A dynamically versatile cast completely sold the goofy, breezy and interactive plot concerning Stacey, an actress who wakes up from being blackout drunk only to find herself trapped in an off-Broadway Golden Age musical.
Set in Bareback, Idaho circa 1945, the show cleverly and gleefully spoofs musicals such as “Brigadoon,” “Oklahoma!,” “The Music Man,” “A Chorus Line,” and “Les Misérables” while paying pop culture homage to Reneé Rapp, Chili’s, artificial intelligence, “The Wizard of Oz,” and Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise.
“I’m super proud of where the show is,” said Drennen, 40. “It’s in great shape. It’s really tight. We kind of just went with our gut, and if it made us laugh, we tried it. And for us, we all kind of have the same taste, and we know it’s not going to be everyone’s taste, but we knew it’s probably going to fit into this world we wanted to create. I think our biggest thing was just keeping it streamlined. So, if we had two jokes in a row and the first one got a laugh but the second one got a lukewarm response, we would just cut the second half of the joke. We just keep it moving, and it feels like that’s what a lot of people are appreciating about the show. It’s just non-stop joy. It’s quick, fast-paced and sends you on your way.”
Credit: MATTHEW MURPHY
Credit: MATTHEW MURPHY
Drennen and Mindelle’s inspired creation of “The Gay B C’s,” a singalong knockout, was written as a clever spin on “Do-Re-Mi” from “The Sound of Music.” The number is among the score’s most joyous moments, which includes the rousing “Gospel Song.”
“I never wanted the score to sound like a parody,” Drennen explained. “We subvert through our lyrics, but we wanted the sound to be as authentic as possible. ‘Do-Re-Mi’ goes up the scale whereas ‘The Gay B C’s’ starts at the top of the scale and everything kind of goes backward. And at the time I wrote ‘Gospel Song’ I was listening to legitimate gospel like Kirk Franklin and other greats from the church, which kind of brought me back to my Southern Baptist roots. I engulfed myself with whatever style we were working on at the time so it was always floating around my brain.”
In addition, one of the show’s funniest bits involves its loving jabs at Jennifer Lopez’s topsy-turvy career, particularly her rom com “The Back-up Plan.” One of the biggest earworms in the score is fittingly titled “Back Up Plan.”
“We wanted to write a big, pop-gospel, Mariah Carey-meets-’You Will Be Found’ love ballad,” Drennen said. “I also think our (referencing) a Jennifer Lopez musical is relevant with all the bio musicals going on right now.”
In my eyes, it wasn’t until Drennen and his fellow creatives journeyed to Martha’s Vineyard for a writer’s retreat early this year that they really struck comic gold: Stacey auditioning for the role of The Block in the aforementioned J. Lo musical.
“We were brainstorming and, at one point, it was pitched that Stacey would be auditioning as Jennifer Lopez’s pet chihuahua among other things,” Drennen recalled. “And I remember sitting around the breakfast table and Marla saying, ‘What if she was auditioning for The Block?’ And we all lost it. We all just guffawed. We knew it had to go in. I’m fascinated by Marla’s brain.”
“Big Gay Jamboree” also marks the theatrical debut of LuckyChap, a production company co-founded by Margot Robbie, the Academy Award-nominated star of such films as “Barbie,” “Babylon,” “Bombshell” and “I, Tonya.” At a presentation for the producing team that took place in March, Drennen was thrilled to meet Robbie and is grateful for her support.
“Margot is absolutely lovely and super smart,” he said. “And to have her come in and bring Magnolia Bakery cupcakes in the middle of the afternoon was pretty amazing.”
Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
The show opened Oct. 6 to many positive reviews. Theatermania deemed it “a laugh-out-loud satire of the American musical wrapped in a surprisingly clever plot about life choices and change, it’s a sparkling example of what intrepid theatermakers can achieve off-Broadway.” New York Stage Review praised it as “a nonstop cartoon of sexual and social satire, showbiz parodies and wayward silliness.” The New York Times called it “a Golden Age fantasia on steroids.”
Is Broadway next? Drennen hopes so but he’s also content with the show staying put at the Orpheum for the foreseeable future.
“We wrote the show with Broadway dreams and I would love to see the show transfer to Broadway and London as well,” he said. “I’d also love to see it have a tour. I just want to see it have a big of a life as possible. And if that life means we stay in the East Village and bring joy to Lower Manhattan for a few more years then so be it if that what it means to stay alive.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Having written the genesis of the score with Mindelle in Dayton in April 2023, he also offered words of wisdom for anyone choosing to create art wherever they are.
“It’s never too late to dream,” Drennen said. “I never quite closed the chapter on what New York or Broadway could look like for me. I think I just gained a lot of confidence and respect for the creative and writing process. Anyone is capable of doing this. You just have to be around like-minded people. The art is going to come out the best if you are around the people who cultivate it well.”
For more information, visit biggayjamboreethemusical.com.
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