The struggling actor/waiter might be a cliché, but it is as true now as ever, especially in New York City.  The wait staff of the veritable theater hang-out and restaurant, Joe Allen, decided to do something about that and have staged their own show, Broadway Bombs, at the stalwart and nearby cabaret room Don’t Tell Mama on Restaurant Row in the theater district.

Joe Allen’s restaurant is known for its myriad display of the ambitious posters of Broadway’s failures.  Calling themselves the “The Joe Allen Players” these troupers have taken on quite a challenge by mining the depths of those failures to come up with this musical romp.  And I say romp literally, because there was a lot of time spent skipping around the stage.

The copious catalogue of “flop musicals” has made it quite a job to find the notable numbers, but the ensemble persevered and came up with some real special stuff, along with some numbers best left to rot in the Library of Congress’ Sheet Music Department.

Three guys and three gals made up the “cast,” and most of them had formidable voices, young and strong—able to take on some very tough challenges in range and style.  But let the singers be cautious about over-using their voices.  As a useful model, let them listen to Broadway star Christine Ebersole, who has maintained her voice for years by singing “on the interest, not the capital.”

The group offered twenty-one numbers and, not surprisingly, the extremes always do prove most compelling.  The most heinous of the bunch had to be “Private Parts,” from the show Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?  The Parish Priest’s song, with gyrations, urging teen boys to “Be the Master of Their Own Domain,” or face hell, blindness and deafness was less than ingratiating.

In the so bad it was good department was “Unsuspecting Hearts,” from the infamous mega-bomb, Carrie, based on the Stephen King book.  This duet, between Carrie and her female gym teacher starts off with said teacher encouraging Carrie to allow love for a cute boy into her heart but ends up with the teacher lecherously planting a big kiss on her.  Perhaps the interpretation was true to the movie or musical, but I think I will skip the research.  The endearing Dana Mierlak, as Carrie, and the comedic Veronica Mittenzwei were hilarious as they sang the sugar out of it.

On the up-and-up was a marvelously loony song from the science fiction cult musical Starmites, “Hard to Be a Diva.”  The ensemble of six was at their best, each topping one another with vocal yodeling and high notes.  Sondheim was represented by Merrily We Roll Along’s “Franklin Shepard, Inc.,” deftly spit out by Jessie Sullivan in staccato.

The night’s  high point was Michael Galyon’s “Once Upon a Time,”  popularized by Jack Jones many moons ago.  Mr. Galyon’s rendering was right on the money.  He used his Broadway style voice with taste and freedom, really hitting this one out of the park. I can envision him as a perfect Bobby in Sondheim’s Company.

The cast was rounded out with the comical Avery Ragsdale and winsome Jessica Anderson, who pulled off Noel Coward’s tricky “Why Do The Wrong People Travel?” from Sail Away.

For those who are nterested in enjoying a number of “hits in the misses,” Broadway Bombs may float their boat.  Bombs can be caught Thursday, January 8^th and Wednesday, the 14^th, at Don’t Tell Mama.

Melody Breyer-Grell
Cabaret Scenes
January 7, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org