Monday, August 23, 2010

FRINGE: I Don < 3 U Ne Mor

If you see one musical at Fringe this year, make it the endlessly fun I Don < 3 U NE Mor, with music by Frank Grullon and Cathy Thomas and lyrics by Daren Taylor. With its tight book (also Taylor) and John Hurley's fast-paced direction that never drags, this fully realized production could transfer with very little editing, a rarity for Fringe.

The musical begins with "Out of Service/Out of Touch," a number with colorful costumes and dance moves (courtesy of choreographer Curtis LeMoine) that look like a parody of High School Musical. The dancers repeatedly stop mid-song to answer their cell phones, which is a smart set-up to a show about the dangers of technology. Ron (Dewy Caddell) and Sam (Elise Link) are about to lose their jobs as archivists for an Internet company after a merger leads to the creation of Verizon Micronet unless they can come up with a new job position. In the midst of trying to save his job, Ron is also trying to win over the girl of his dreams, Daliya (Felicia Hudson), who doesn't know he is alive until Ron's roommate Nic (Cameron Leighton Kirkpatrick) introduces him to the power of cell phones, texting, and My Facester.

Let's be honest--this isn't the type of show that will change your life. The musical isn't earth-shattering in its opinions of technology, but that doesn't make songs like "The Internet Makes Stalking OK" any less true or funny. The score is lively, the cast is fully committed and nails the comedic timing, and the show is unapologetic in its silliness. What more could you want out of a 90-minute evening?

Remaining performances are Tue 24 at 9:30, Wed 25 at 12:45, Fri 27 at 2:15, and Sat 28 at 9:45 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

2 comments:

Randi Knows Color and some other stuff said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Randi Knows Color and some other stuff said...

oops on above

The writing was original . Acting superb. Were we LOL!