JUKEBOX JAMBOREE

The huge success of the musical adaptation of Mel Brook’s THE PRODUCERS begat the “musicalization” of John Water’s HAIRSPRAY. And just as THE PRODUCERS led to the inevitable YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN musical, the success of HAIRSPRAY led to CRY BABY: THE MUSICAL, which I saw last night at the Marquis Theatre.

I enjoyed the movie version of the HAIRSPRAY musical (although I have not yet seen either the HAIRSPRAY Broadway musical or the original HAIRSPRAY or CRY BABY films) so I thought I would take a chance on CRY BABY when it was presented as a Theatre Development Fund (tdf) offering.

The ticket was only $38.50 and the seats were not bad at all for tdf – 11th row on the extreme right aisle. I have had both good and bad luck with tdf seats – occasionally risking a nose bleed in some of the older theatres.

I knew nothing about CRY BABY, other than the fact that it took place in the 1950s and the movie helped make a star out of then tv heartthrob Johnny Depp, who played a teen-age delinquent like those who high school teachers Glenn Ford and Dick Clark tried to help in THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE and its clone BECAUSE THEY’RE YOUNG.

Set in Baltimore (where else for a John Waters story) in 1954, the musical tells the Romeo and Juliet-esque tale of “squeaky clean” square, class-conscious preppies versus misunderstood delinquent freaks, as square blonde “never been kissed” debutante Allison Vernon-Williams (Elizabeth Stanley – the ditzy stewardess April in the recent COMPANY revival), tired of being a “good girl”, becomes fascinated with “bad boy” Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker (James Snyder). We see them fall in love during the tender love song “Girl, Can I Kiss You With Tongue”.

The show also stars Harriet Harris (who I remember from tv way before she was FRASER’s agent – as one of Marc Cherry’s original “desperate housewives” in 1994’s unfortunately short-lived sitcom THE 5 MRS BUCHANANS) as Allison’s grandmother Mrs. Vernon-Williams, the queen of Baltimore society, who “Did Something Wrong…Once” (besides that liaison with Hitler).

The score is chock-a-block with energetic toe-tapping 50’s rock and roll music and some witty lyrics (when I could hear them), although nothing memorable (one does not walk out of the theatre humming “Watch Your Ass” or “Screw Loose”).

While not as good as the HAIRSPRAY musical (from what I can tell from having seen only the movie version) with its civil rights theme and drag gimmick, at my $38.50 tdf ticket price it was an entertaining show with a fine cast – well worth the price. However I doubt I would feel the same if I had paid $115.00 for the ticket. I expect that it will make a good movie, if they get around to once again following HAIRSPRAY.

I recently noticed that the original John Waters movie is available for free via Comcast’s ON DEMAND, and now that I have seen the musical I think I will watch it before locking myself behind closed doors next week to catch up on the GD extensions.

TTYL