The Big Gay Jamboree at the Orpheum Theatre traverses the territory from simplistic parody to clever satire. Jamboree doesn’t settle for easy laughs based on stereotypes. The razor sharp book by lead actress Marla Mindelle and Jonathan Parks-Ramage and the songs by Mindelle and Philip Drennen mercilessly skewer musical theater tropes past and present as well as a plethora of pop culture targets from the “Real Housewives” franchise to the Upright Citizen Brigade comedy troupe to Mindelle’s own Titanique musical.
After a night of black-out drunkenness, wanna-be actress Stacey (the delightfully sarcastic Mindelle) finds herself trapped in a 1940s-style musical where she is about to be married and succumb to housewifely drudgery. Okay, the Apple TV series “Schmigadoon” employs a similar storyline, but Mindelle and her collaborators pile on some many hilarious allusions, their work is fresh and biting. The piece is also a loving tribute to musicals and hare-brained entertainment in general.
Like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” Stacy attempts to find her way home by acquiring three similarly stricken friends, venturing into the dangerous woods outside the town of Bareback, Idaho, and confronting a frightening mystical figure. Rather than a Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion, Stacy befriends Clarence (Paris Nix with a thrilling voice and presence), the town’s sole African-American citizen who is forced to sing only gospel numbers; Flora (stellarly seductive Natalie Walker), an unmarried woman who secretly years to fulfill her wildest sexual desires; and Bert (fabulously flamboyant Constantine Rousouli), a barely closeted gay man dreaming of openly expressing himself.
Employing this wild format, Midellle and Drennen’s songs brilliantly lampoon Broadway standards, all staged by director-choreographer Connor Gallagher with snap and wit. Clarence’s big number takes off on every gospel number ever. Flora’s solo pays tribute to the sex-kitten splendor of Marilyn Monroe and Ann-Margret. Bert gets to lampoon Donna McKechnie’s “The Music and the Mirror” from A Chorus Line. Hovering around the edges of Stacy’s nightmare is her millionaire boyfriend Keith (“SNL”’s Alex Moffat, delightfully sleazy) who may or may not hold the key to her escape and her future.
The bizarre set by dots (sic), goofy projection design by Aaron Rhyne, nutty costumes by Sarah Cubbage, and versatile lighting by Brian Tovar create the perfect parody environment for this joyously ridiculous Jamboree.
