By Ernest Kearney — Poking fun at Disney’s propensity for squeezing profits out of any literary character for whom they won’t have to pay royalties, Sam Pasternack (who wrote Public Domain’s book, music, lyrics and directs) has gathered some very talented singers to perform his very performable music.
The concept is simple and straightforward: Two producers, in the form of a pair of puppets (Pasternack and Michael Kraus) cloned off Statler and Waldorf, the beloved balcony hecklers from The Muppet Show, are auditioning figures who are free of copyright infringements so that they can make their own show.
As Disney has already claimed the pick of the litter (Snow White, the Little Mermaid, Quasimodo, etc.), the pickings are slim.
Rosie the Riveter (Codi Coates), Oedipus (Max Mahle), The Princess (Erika Cruz), and her Pea (Nathalia Coppa).
After the “slim pickings” comes the absurd pickings: The Monkey Paw (Max Ash) and Potato Mussolini (Ben Cassil), till finally, in typical Broadway musical fashion, they find their star right under their noses in the form of their receptionist (Evelyn-RoseWhitlock.)
Pasternack has some very funny numbers, such as Oedipus singing, “The Way to Become a Hero (is to be at the right place at the right time).”
He has also filled his cast with strong performers, especially Coates, Ash, Mahle, Whitlock and Cassil. The worst element of the show was one of the puppeteers, the one on stage right, whose character stared down stage left – away from those he was auditioning – for the whole show. A word to the wise for all productions, anywhere – there’s more to puppetry than shoving your arm up a tube sock.
Public Domain – The Musical, played at the during HFF2019 and is overall a SILVER, but the cast and Ember Everett’s clever costumes will bump that up to –
A GOLD MEDAL
Public Domain: the Musical
was a
PICK OF THE FRINGE
for HFF19
Extended for Additional Performances:
Actors Company (LET LIVE THEATER)
916 N.Formosa Ave
For Extension Information and Tickets: http://hff19.org/6191
For Events, Plays and Other Fun Fringe News and Info: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/
