We've got a few opening-night reviews from Laurette. She notes that opening night is usually the night where if anything can go wrong it will - this night was no exception, so there are some critical comments made. But they all seemed to like Molly! See for yourself:
L.A. Weekly Review - July 23, 2009
Octomom The Musical
OCTOMOM! THE MUSICAL
Chicago has gritty realism. New York has Broadway musicals. So what’s the L.A. aesthetic? I’ve heard complaints — I think they were sneers — that L.A. has no unifying theater style, just like it has no unifying geography. Not true: L.A. has camp. You see more parody of stupid movies, stupid TV shows and stupid people on the stages of L.A. than any other genre — even more than one-person showcases for TV. The latest example is this quite charming, clever-in-parts (the eight kids are sock puppets) and terribly overhyped (preview coverage on Fox TV and in People magazine) cabaret about thoughtless and relentless greed, which is probably to our era what religious hypocrisy was to Molière’s. Writer-director Chris Voltaire’s theatrical comic book, with witty, light music by Rachel Lawrence, interlinks the voracious appetites of Nadya Suleman (the excellent Molly McCook) and Bernie Madoff (John Combs, also fine). It suffers somewhat from the plight of trying to be on top of the news with topics that were in the news cycle a few months ago. But the underlying source of the satire Voltaire is gunning for certainly hasn’t gone anywhere. The insights are broad as a barn. Madoff meets that schemer Ponzi (Blake Hogue, with a keen expression of derangement that works for number of cameos) in a sweet soft-shoe number. It could be in the style of Tom Lehrer, but this is more obvious and less sly. The production’s strength lies in Dean McFlicker’s musical staging, and the actors’ terrific movement skills — particularly that of Dinora Walcott, the crooning emcee. Oh, but the thin voices bring it down. As though this stuff is easy, as though a musical can work without the triple threat of acting, dancing and singing. With the threadbare canned accompaniment, we’re missing about a third of the musical-comedy trinity in those wispy voices — sometimes out of key. Not so for McCook’s Octomom, beautifully peevish, whining and with a sense of entitlement as bloated as her belly. She carries the show, in tune and on step, like a latter-day Mother Courage. Fake Gallery, 4319 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; Sat., 8 & 10 p.m.; indef. (323) 856-1168. (Steven Leigh Morris)
Los Angeles Times - online review
Octomom the Musical at the Fake - No Fake
Sunday July 19, 2009
There were plenty of belly laughs last night at the opening of Octomom the Musical, an irreverent parody of the icons of American excess who have consumed the media and flattened the economy for the last couple years. The production manages to poke fun at Bernie Madoff, greedy mortgage companies, and of course the Octomom, in hysterical song and dance numbers that are so clever and witty that they don't even seem mean-spirited. It is non-stop craziness for the entire 62 minutes.
The production is the brain child of Chris Voltaire, who wrote the book and lyrics, produced and directed the musical. He also plays Octomom's infatuated fertility doctor and a TMZ reporter in the show. Rachael Lawrence's music, ranging from tango to rap, is toe tapping and catchy. Dean McFlicker's over-the-top cornball choreography is just too fun. I can see the Octo-Dance joining the Time Warp as a cult classic.
The spot-on cast is led by Molly McCook as Octo, John Combs (former Wall Street Securities Banker) as Bernie and Dinora Walcott as the narrator "Real." Voltaire makes a perfectly smarmy conflicted fertility specialist. Lynette Li is strangely convincing as Octo's fed-up mom. Blake Hogue morphs seamlessly from sleazy real estate deal-maker Century to con artist Ponzi. Alexandra Holzman and Stu Barron round out the strong cast as gullible buyers and chorus members.
They have a few technical bugs to work out. These folks can all sing up a storm, but the volume of the musical recording was irregular and overpowered the voices on a couple songs. An unexpected musical failure didn't faze the actors who managed quite well a cappella for one song.
Octomom the Musical is playing for 5 Saturday nights at the Fake Gallery in Hollywood. It's fun to see it in such an intimate space, but that means tickets are limited. So if you're planning on being in town this month and want to get in to see this show, get your tickets soon.
When: Saturdays, July 18 - Aug 15 , 8 and 10 pm
Where: The Fake Gallery, 4319 Melrose Ave., LA 90029
Cost: $19.99 advance, $29.99 at the door
Parking: Street
Info:
www.octomomthemusical.comLos Angeles Times News - July 23, 2009
Theater review: 'Octomom the Musical' at Fake Gallery
3:15 PM, July 23, 2009
It was only a matter of time before the exploits of Nadya Suleman trickled down to that most lowly of entertainment forms, live theater. Now “Octomom the Musical” has appeared at the Fake Theatre with all the savage vitriol of a warm baby formula. Incredibly, this low-budget cabaret leaves you with the desolating sensation that this unholy mother of 14 is too stupefying even for satire.
Actor Chris Voltaire, who wrote the book and lyrics, directs, and appears as a Frankenstein-like fertility doctor, has a certain demented charm. But a subject this overexposed needs a point of view more surprising than TMZ’s.
Voltaire starts to frame a rivalry between Octomom (an enjoyably self-involved Molly McCook) and her nemesis/role model Angelina Jolie (Alexandra Holtzman), but their trash talk is disappointingly tame. Too bad. Despite the ensemble's efforts to please, the inclusion of a Bernie Madoff type (John Combs) who tells us what we already know just takes the evening even=2 0further afield.
A longer gestation period might help but right now, “Octomom” isn’t quite ready for delivery.
-- Charlotte Stoudt
“Octomom the Musical,” Fake Gallery, 4319 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. 8 and 10 p.m. Saturdays. Ends Aug. 15. $19.99-$29.99. (323) 856-1168. Running time: 65 minutes.
