By Ernest Kearney — Why…? Why…? C’mon, why…? Really, why…? Why…? Why…?
Why, why, why, why….?
In reacting to Ralph Brunson’ s crucifixion of musical theatre (Samson and the Burning Bush currently playing the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood) I could fill about ten pages just restating the same question – why?
Why establish David and Goliath, Moses and Ramses, Samson and Delilah as wrestling tag teams at the opening of your musical and never return or refer to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) motif again?
Why did you transport and transfigure the ancient conflict between Jews and Philistines to a conflict between modern New Jersey and Philadelphia?
Why select your dramatis personae from Biblical personages then burden them with modern lives disconnected from those found in the scriptures?
Why do you drop, seemingly haphazardly, at a specific point in your narrative certain obscure aspects plucked from the Old Testament – Samson’s riddle, Moses’ stuttering – and then never utilize them again.
Why is “Jesus” a hillbilly?
Why are Goliath and David pals?
Why have both gay and transgender characters and cast members and never mention the prohibitions laws in Leviticus?
I could go on. Suffice it to say I did not like this hour and forty minute musical train wreck.
This production boasts a couple of solid songs, and there are some performers on stage who can certainly sing, among them Mark Lopez who, as Goliath, even gets in some nice moments.
Johnne Tyson is amusing too… for a moment.
Unfortunately, moments do not make a 100 minute show endurable, so sadly my advice is to avoid this one like a plague.
No medal awarded.
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Samson and the Burning Bush
Currently onstage during HFF’21
at
Hudson Theatres
6539 Santa Monica Boulevard
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