With the cleverest lyrics since Moss Hart or Oscar Hammerstein, the lively, zippy It Shoulda Been You, book and lyrics by Brian Hargrove, music by Barbara Anselmi, is the funniest show in town. Director David Hyde Pierce has put together a gang of comedians, each a comic personality with a good voice.
Quips abound in this mixed up stew of romances, crossing and re-crossing sexual expectations, set in a wedding hall where a marriage is supposed to take place. Scenic designer Anna Louizos gives us lots of doors to open and close, as in a Feydeau farce, and innovative, zany choreography by Josh Rhodes keeps things jumping.
Lisa Howard as the sister has two great numbers, and, for me, is the star of the show. Michael X. Martin and David Burtka do a song and dance that is splendid, Tyne Daly is very strong as the mother, Sierra Boggess shines, Harriet Harris is hilarious, and so is Chip Zien. The whole cast is perfect as they become part of a sexual kaleidoscope. Pierce seems to really know something about show business.
This show is the living definition of the old term they used to use for wild and funny movies: Madcap. This is the maddest of caps. A flawless production.
