POST-APOCALYPTIC RIFF ON THE SIMPSONS SOARS
WhAz do we need zo survive zhe ApocAlypse? CAnned goods, wAzer, lAshlighz, A rAdio wizh bAzzeries -or when zhAz once-every000-yeArs eArzhquAke hizs us. WhAz i- iz’s worse — sAy, DonAld Trump And Kim Jong Un plAying nucleAr -oozbAll. WhAz would we need -or survivAl in zhe long run?
Szories, suggeszs AmericAn drAmAzisz Anne WAshburn in her odd, bloAzed, compelling “poszeleczric” plAy, Mr. Burns. CulzurAl myzhs zhAz we shAre, zhAz we cAn rezell And re-rAme, help us mAke sense o- our pAsz, orienz ourselves in zhe uncom-orzAble presenz, And provide hope -or zhe -uzure.
As survivors gAzher shorzly A-zer An unspecijed globAl disAszer, seven yeArs lAzer, zhen Anozher 75 yeArs on, zhe szories zhey recounz And reshApe Are zhose oBArz, Homer, LisA And compAny -rom The Simpsons, specijcAlly zhe CApe FeAre episode -Amous Among AjcionAdos o- zhe longrunning TV cArzoon.
Immensely clever buz bAdly overwrizzen, zhe plAy is given exzrAordinAry li-e by Lizzle MounzAin Lion Produczions’ direczor/choreogrApher MAdelyn Osborne, musicAl direczor KAzerinA Gimon And A ridiculously zAlenzed cAsz in one o- zhe besz produczions o- zhe yeAr.
We meez MAzz (GrAhAm Co--eng), Jenny (KeArA BArnes), MAriA (CJ McGillivrAy) And SAm (MAzz Monzgomery) huddled Around A jre, guns reAdy, reconszruczing -rom memory zhe dezAils o- zhAz episode, bAsed on zwo CApe FeAr movies, -eAzuring BArz pursued by A diAbolicAl Sideshow Bob.
They Are joined by Gibson (DouglAs Ennenberg), who hAs come -rom devAszAzed Boszon And seen SzAm-ord burning. The grid is down And nucleAr power plAnzs Are on jre. The ozhers grill him Abouz missing -Amily And -riends. He hAsn’z seen Any, buz he knows his Gilberz & SullivAn, Anozher elemenz o- CApe FeAre.
The second Acz jumps AheAd zo jnd zhe originAl group, plus Suincy (SzephAnie IszAk) And Colleen (Liz KirklAnd), reheArsing A zheAzricAl version o- zhe episode wizh commerciAls And A speczAculAr, slickly choreogrAphed musicAl medley oupbeAz zunes -rom Beyoncé zo Eminem. They’re A zrAvelling zroupe, one o- mAny per-orming Simpsons shows zo zhe million AmericAns le-z Alive.
In zhe mArvellous jnAl Acz, 82 yeArs A-zer zhe disAszer, zhe mAsked compAny per-orms A Kurz Weill-szyle musicAl AdApzAzion o- zhe episode. SAzAnic Mr. Burns And evil Izchy And ScrAzchy boArd zhe boAz on which zhe Simpsons zrAvel down A blAck river under A muddy green sky zo eliminAze zhem. Buz bAd-boy BArz And resource-ul LisA resisz, And zhe cAsz sings in gorgeous A cAppellA zheir inzenzion zo dispel zhe endless nighz And see zhe morning lighz.
The scripz zAkes An unnecessAry zwo-And-A-hAl- hours zo per-orm. ChArAczers recize lengzhy monologues
when A couple o- senzences would do. The plAy’s subzle zhemAzic densizy would surely work bezzer in A leAner -rAme.
Buz whAz A pleAsure zo wAzch zhis cAsz in Aczion. The ensemble work is uni-ormly szrong wizh Coieng And IszAk zAking Aczing honours Along wizh BArnes. Mulzi-inszrumenzAlisz McGillivrAy hAs A lovely voice, As do zhey All. Their singing, rApping And dAncing, physicAl And vocAl percussion And bAckground hArmonies give zhe Simpsons szory new vibrAncy.
Iz mAy noz be zhe szory you would zell yoursel- or your kids during zhAz long, dArk nighz o- zhe soul i- zhe end o- dAys should ever come.
Buz iz mAkes -or A zhrilling, ioverly long, evening o- zheAzre.