The Big Gay Jamboree

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Following her star turn as “Celine Dion” in Titaníque which she co-wrote, Marla Mindelle has a new role in The Big Gay Jamboree, another parody musical which she co-wrote with Jonathan Parks-Ramage. As Stacey, with a degree in musical theater, on her wedding day to chauvinist millionaire Keith, she wakes up to find herself trapped in an Off Broadway musical comedy, circa 1945, in the provincial town of Bareback, Iowa. Rather scattershot with its many multitudinous references to both pop culture and musical theater, the show is both raunchy and erotic in the style of a cabaret or nightclub act. The corny humor may charm some theatergoers, but put others off by its old-fashioned and familiar humor spiced up with bawdy, off-color jokes.

While the show bills itself as a parody of golden age musicals, it begins with a tribute to MGM’s 1940’s small town movie musicals like Meet Me in St. Louis, The Harvey Girls and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It then takes on Golden Age Broadway musicals from Oklahoma! to Gentleman Prefer Blondes, not stopping there but going up to A Chorus Line and Rent. The second half of the show is modeled on The Wizard of Oz (1939) and The Wiz (1975).

The pop culture references come fast and thick like Jennifer Lopez, Renée Rapp, Bethenny Frankel, Kim Cattrall, Beyoncé, Harry Styles, RuPaul, Kate Gosselin, Britney Spears, Charlie XCX, etc. as do the musical comedy allusions (Judy Garland, The Music Man, Andrew Lloyd Webber, etc.) The jokes which are on the level of “I’m so poor, the last person that stole my identity … gave it back” are not on the level of the wit of Titaníque, laced with risqué profanity, with a lot of body parts and sexual positions referenced, definitely an X-rated show.

When Stacey discovers that she can’t get out of Bareback, Idaho, she has by now teamed up with local residents Clarence, a Black singer tired of having to sing nothing but gospel music, Flora, a man-hungry 18-year-old eager for sexual freedom, and Bert, the local choir master looking for a boyfriend of his own. With Stacey turning into Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, they leave town to travel through the Forbidden Woods and the Enchanted Castle and find the Castle which will allow them to get back to Stacey’s hometown and time. However, just like in The Wizard of Oz, the castle turns out to be dead end before Keith, Stacey’s millionaire boyfriend, reappears to set the show up for its finale.

The original score which Mindelle has co-written with Philip Drennen, is pleasant enough, the best numbers are the parodies of iconic musical comedy songs from “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music to “Just a Little Girl from Little Rock” from Gentleman Prefer Blondes to “The Music and The Mirror” from A Chorus Line to Rent’s “Seasons of Love.” Director Connor Gallagher is also responsible for the choreography which also parodies various theater styles.

The game cast sings well and puts over the musical comedy elements, while the leads are too similar to the parts they are parodying. Too old to be an ingénue, Mindelle appears to be trying too hard to be the cheerful, energetic Judy Garland-type Dorothy. Paris Nix is amusing as the cowardly lion character, afraid of his own shadow. Rousouli, who also appeared with Mindelle in Titanique, which he also co-wrote, is a hoot as the very gay Bert who tries to appear braver than he really is like the Tin Man. Natalie Walker’s Flora is saucy as the girl who likes sex. Brad Greer subbing for Alex Moffat, late of Saturday Night Live, as Stacey’s boyfriend Keith, is not as chauvinistic as he might be. The six member ensemble work hard at many roles from various periods of musical theater.

The clever set design by the collective dots belies the small stage of the Orpheum Theatre by bringing in a multitude of backdrops for various familiar musical theater locales. Sarah Cubbage’s many costumes from 1945 to the present are quite attractive. The light design by Brian Tovar fully keeps up with the many scenes and set changes. Leah J. Loukas is responsible for the many hair and wig designs. The sound design by Justin Stasiw is crystal clear, unlike many Broadway and Off Broadway musicals.

The Big Gay Jamboree is an attempt to satirize musical theater as well as gay culture. Its low brow vibe tends to be corny rather than witty but some theatergoers will find it to their taste. It references a great many recent pop culture icons who will not be known to older theatergoers. In any case, the game cast makes this a diverting evening in the theater as the show follows its twists and turns very much like an adult version of The Wizard of Oz.

The Big Gay Jamboree (through March 23, 2025)

Orpheum Theatre, 126 Second Avenue at Eighth Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, visit http://www.biggayjamboreethemusical.com

Running time: one hour and 45 minutes without an intermission