MUSICAL the MUSICAL!

Book: Doug Neithercott and Hannah Kuhlmann
Music: Todd Price and Justin Hartke

VOTED MOST OUTSTANDING MUSICAL
2008 MINNESOTA FRINGE FESTIVAL
BY FRINGEFAMOUS.COM!



For the 2008 Minnesota Fringe Festival Urban Samurai Productions presented the greatest moment in the history of the universe, Musical the Musical! Lauren a naive, trusting, innocent, naive, young, and also naive young woman has naively come to the big city to chase her dreams but love, or something like it, gets in her way in this hysterical and irreverent musical parody of musicals that left audience members humming, laughing, and talking to themselves while they aimlessly roamed the streets rummaging through garbage cans.

Directed by Matthew Greseth

Starring

Kecia Rehkamp
Reid Harmsen
Krystyn Spratt

Also Appearing

Ryan Grimes
Nate Hessburg
Dawn Malicsi
Courtney Miner
Tamara Philbrick
Tim Reddy
Amy Vickroy
Max Wojtanowicz
John T. Zeiler

Presented at the U of M Rarig Center Proscenium as part of the 2008 Minnesota Fringe Festival

Your Reviews

What the Fringe is all about!
by Nicholas Leeman

Self-referential, irreverent, and supremely well built, this is exactly what Fringe Festivals should showcase. MtM is exactly what you see above, a musical that knows it's a musical, and doesn't take itself too seriously. It's also violently crass, and lends itself to soaking up more than a few stereotypes. Each move is planned, however, and if you're willing to go along for the ride, you'll find yourself better off for the trip. Stand out performances include the absolutely spot-on and hilarious Krystyn Spratt, the golden throated and sickeningly sweet Kecia Rehkamp, the campy-and-loving-it Ryan Grimes and the was-she-typecast-or-is-she-just-that-convincing Courtney Miner. Do not miss this show under ANY circumstances.

Rebuilding the Fourth Wall
by Dave Romm

Self-referential, raunchy, tuneful and very funny when you can hear the dialog. I like musicals, and I also like shows that tear apart genres in a loving yet disrespectful manner generating lots of laughs. Go fig. On Broadway, The Drowsy Chaperone earned a Tony nomination. For the Fringe, five kitties is the honor A Shockwave Radio Theater Review.

Recommended
by David Pisa

I'm a big fan of inappropriate humor done well, therefore I'm a big fan of this show. Sure it's often vulgar, and that's a valid kind of humor we don't usually get to see done this well. The vulgarity is witty: rhymes worthy of Sondheim if he had a more coarse vocabulary, and further humor derived from going so far across the line of good taste so suddenly that the only option is to laugh. Beyond being well-written, M:tM is competently performed, cleverly staged (as funny as the main action is, watch the background characters for extra fun), and amusingly choreographed. Completely entertaining. Line up early - this will sell out by the end of its run.

The Musical for Musical-Haters
by Meghan Kiley

Musical: The Musical is laugh-out-loud, can't breathe from laughing so hard, eye-waterin', stomach-hurtin', pants peein' fun! If you hate musicals, or theatre in general, and made fun of them your entire life; I would definitely recommend this show. This show says everything you have wanted to say about musicals but haven't had the guts to say it out loud. Urban Samurais' guts have spilled out onto the stage! This show is well on its way to ending famine and war and bringing the world peace and harmony. Go see this show - if you don't - I know kung fu!

Queer & Campy
by Dixie Treichel

Oh so very queer.. in a campy sense...A dyke bar, a drag queen with male dancers & faery music. Parody and stereotypes abound. Well performed with some very fun moments. Music and lyrics really come together for some funolicious silliness.

This is the Review Song
by Kale Ganann

Very fun, frothy entertainment from the folks at Urban Samurai. The best sort of parody, the play both skewers and embraces the conventions of the modern musical, while adding a dash of awareness about the fact that it is, in fact, just a play. The performers are all fairly good, though there is a little inconsistency among the vocal talents of the principal cast, weakening a few of the numbers. The set design is excellent, adapting to several locations and frustrating the players when a scene changes around them. Pay careful attention to the background details, as there are almost always more jokes than just the main focus. Standout numbers include a song lamenting inspiration for a song and the opening song. All in all a very enjoyable night out.