Chicago Theater Review – Musical Therapy
During my trip to Chicago to attend the IRCE, I took an evening to check out a local show. A good friend of mine (and former N Crowd member) Matt Lamson invited me to check out the Death and Pretzel’s production of “Musical Therapy.” It starred Sean Caron, Erika Hakmiller, Matt Lamson, Emma Palizza, Haley Mozer, Ethan Peterson, and Taylor Toms. It was directed by Madison Smith and featured George Tingen on percussion. Music and lyrics were by Joey Katsiroubas and it was based on a book by Dan Hass.
Whew. Now that I got that out of the way.
I knew Matt from his improv comedy days, so I came here expecting to see an improv comedy show. I don’t always ask a lot of questions which is often the cause of my many adventures. I’m not generally a fan of musical theater, but since Matt was my friend I decided to stick it out. I’m glad I did. I’m beginning to think I’m not a fan of musical theater because I’ve just seen a ton of bad shows. This show was fantastic. The musical numbers were catchy, the dialogue was funny, and the little side comments the characters slipped in were very well delivered. It isn’t easy to slip a solid one-liner into a conversation, but they did it seamlessly.
The plot of the show follows a therapist as she tries to help, then break up, then help a series of couples in her quest to land “Mr. Wonderful.” From a mental health perspective, she’s a terrible therapist. From a musical perspective, Haley Mozer who plays the therapist, is amazing. There are a few styles of music that get sung throughout the play and she slipped in and out of them with ease. She’s a real talent that was only made to shine more by the talented cast she had around her. The pairing of couples in the show were fun to watch. It’s hard to say which couple was my favorite because each pair did a stellar job with their performance and their singing.
Oh, and the play had singing puppets and a wall mounted dildo. So, there’s that.
Overall, I give Death and Pretzel’s 5 out of 5 Pith Helmets for their production of “Musical Therapy.”
While I caught this show the day before the end of their run, you should check out Death and Pretzels other shows if you are in the Chicago area.
Side note: This show was performed at the theater Gorilla Tango, which hosts regular burlesque shows including: Game of Thongs, A Nude Hope: A Star Wars Burlesque Show, and Stranger Thongs. All in all, it looks like a fun place to catch a show.
