On & Off Broadway

‘Disaster!’

Review by Elyse Trevers

Posted

Over the last 50 years there has been a spate of disaster movies involving all sorts of catastrophes, including avalanches, tornadoes, sinking ships, epidemics, creatures and even aliens. Thankfully, mankind usually survives, heroes emerge and somehow life goes on. These films have enormous appeal for the public, so why not put them on the Broadway stage? While we’re at it, why not add some music?

Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick spoof the entire genre in the new Broadway musical Disaster! In the show, an unscrupulous casino owner (the hysterical Roger Bart) cuts corners, bypassing safety features in constructing the world’s largest floating casino. Early in the first act it becomes unmoored from the manmade pier. Although he’s warned by the famous disaster expert Dr. Ted Scheider (in a nod to Roy Scheider of the Jaws movies,) he allows the casino to open, and, of course, disaster ensues.

There’s no escape from the sinking ship, but then it gets even worse as the disasters keep on coming — fire, tidal waves, piranhas, sharks, even rats.

Rudetsky (who plays Scheider) creates humor with the use of more than 30 popular songs from the ’70’s. Each song is used in an incongruent way. “Torn Between Two Lovers is the nun’s choosing between a slot machine and Jesus. “Knock on Wood” is a tap dance to help two passengers get out of a precarious position.

Some of the comedy is funny. Some is clever, but often even the clever is overdone. Slinky cabaret singer Jackie (Rachel York) sounding like a cross between Marilyn Monroe and Tina Louise has twins, a girl and a boy. Both are played by a young actor (Baylee Littrell) who does a lot of running around to be both characters at the same time. At first, the device is funny but then it gets tiresome. Later, in another moronic scene, rats overrun the elevator. Lights go off and on. Each time the lights go on, there are more rats until finally one of the passengers is totally covered by the rodents.

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