MOST WANTED

A musical about gay party-boy serial killer Andrew Cunanan told by a big black drag queen named Stormy Leather backed up by the Daddyo’s, a trio of singing sugar daddies, that’s what kicks off The La Jolla Playhouse’s new process called The Edge - cutting edge shows that push the boundaries of theatricality, but as cutting edge as it sounds, MOST WANTED isn’t treacherous mainly because of the middle-of-the-road music.

Still a work in progress, the show is awkward, skipping back and forth in time and place. Directed by Michael Grief (Rent Grey Gardens), it works hard not to offend. Think HEDWIG minus the glam rock, it’s afraid of itself. Though it has some balls, especially when a half naked sugar daddy kisses his young rent boy, the straight men in the audience were audibly disturbed.

Ken Page’s (Cats Children Of Eden) luminescent stage presence makes Stormy Leather the anchor of the show unfortunately he gets no knock down drag out (pun intended) torch song or an uproarious camp song though he makes full use of the bitchy one-liners the script offers.

As the Andrew Cunanan based character, Daniel Torres (The Pirate Queen The Woman In White) lacks the charm, charisma or good looks to pull off such a complex shyster, he fares better when he begins his evil rampage.

A brave undertaking, it just needs a jolt of eroticism from the score. CABARET-ish in it’s tone, the score needs to be electric and contemporary and menacing, again HEDWIG comes to mind, brazenness on parade, MOST WANTED is brazen it just needs to parade it

A CATERED AFFAIR

When was the last time you went to the theater (especially with a musical) and the audience actually listened, they were quiet and heard every word said...that’s the effect of ‘A Catered Affair’, the tiny 95 min chamber opera that offers an emotional wallop.

The new pre-Broadway musical by Harvey Fierstein & John Bucchino, still in previews at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre, is an emotinally deep and sophisticated opera told through very unsophisticated characters. Faith Prince and Tom Wopat have a lot to sink their teeth into and when they go full force it is devastating. Harvey Fierstein gives the much needed comic relief as the gay Uncle, needless to say he’s so over-the-top that he’s almost inappropriate among the rest of the cast.

The music and lyrics by John Bucchino are so insightful, the audience was stunned into self-reflection which they were not prepared for but ate up. A feast for a soulless society to reawaken.

Not that it doesn’t have its flaws, I wish the music was as meaningful and memorable as the lyrics and book. It takes a while to get going but when it does it’s like a steam-roller. Harvey Fierestein has added many layers of humanity to the 50’s Bette Davis film. The incomparable John Doyle directs with powerful simplicity allowing silence to tell us a lot.

Whether Broadway can sustain this small sad opera over 'The Little Mermaid' & 'Young Frankenstein', one can only hope since movie musicals alone aren’t a well rounded diet. ‘A CAtered Affair’ will nurture the soul of Broadway if we let it.