PEORIA, IL -- A very weird musical opened this week at the Corn Stock Summer playhouse, "The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)." It runs through Sept. 5, and is worth seeing.
It consists of parodies of the works of five composers, with the best by far the section on Stephen Sondheim, a hilarious mashup of his songs and scenes, 'A Little Complex.'
Others were parodies of "Oklahoma," set in Illinois; a mashup of Andrew Lloyd Weber's works, 'Aspects of Junita,' which included a cat mask; a "Cabaret" parody set in Chicago; and 'Dear Abby,' a mix of "Hello Dolly" and other shows.
The original music resembles the originals, and I kept wishing to hear the familiar music as the songs rolled by.
The plot, if it can be called a plot, for each section and the show as a whole is someone who can't pay the rent. Ironically there's nary a line from the great musical "Rent" in this show.
The actors performed well, and all are fine singers. This is quite an elaborate production, with scenes, costumes, props -- the works.
Is it a musical? Well, sort of. Here's a review of another production.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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