Law and Order: The Musical!
Reviewed by Lara J. Altunian
Blooming Damsels Productions
Through March 15 [NOTE: Closed early due to COVID-19]
RECOMMENDED
Dun-dun! The 20-season drama’s signature heartbeat-like rhythm plays overhead and the crowd goes wild. A longstanding staple of network television, Law & Order’s fans may be coaxed into watching anything attached to the series’s name. But Blooming Damsels Productions’s play is more than just a nostalgic, comedic look at the show’s stereotypical tropes. Their musical is highly entertaining with a steady flow of energy that runs the full length of the show, clever jokes, and a strong feminist undertone, which threads the narrative together without beating the audience over the head with its message.
Setting: New York City, present day. The philanthropic Angelica Bower (Kira Powell) has been found murdered in her apartment. Officers Geene (Ebenezer Alasi) and Klincaid (Steve Fite) are on a mission to find out why anyone would want to kill what appears to be the perfect woman. The two investigate the flurry of suspects that may have been responsible for committing the crime, among whom are a disgruntled doorman and a red herring (both with their own musical numbers), a variety of mistresses, and several people with connections to the mob. From there, the plot unravels to reveal a hilarious barrage of outrageous situations, contradictory details relating to the case, and circumstantial evidence. The story’s sharp turns leads to several intentionally predictable and completely unpredictable twists that may leave audiences reeling as they watch the overly-serious, yet still loony police and prosecutors try to bring the right perpetrator to justice.
Dialogue and delivery are key throughout the whodunit. Book and lyric writer Ilyse Mimoun’s ingenious back-and-forth quips between the cops and maybe-culprits are electrifying and bring to the forefront every bluecoat and legal drama show stereotype seemingly in existence, including good cop/bad cop skits and spot-on, often-ignored observations from unlikely witnesses. Greene and Klincaid are hilarious as the fumbling law enforcement duo dominating the first half of the show. From the moment they come on stage and turn an often-used, but grating comment about the victim (“That’s a shame, she was such a pretty girl!”) into a funny song about misogyny, the two establish themselves as the woke and (mostly) anti-woke characters necessary to drive the first act of this law parody forward.
The play’s unofficial Act II however takes on a completely different feel with a whole new cast of leads, among whom is the stern Le Croix (Mimoun) — a woman “married to the law.” Unsurprisingly, her performance stupendously embodies that of a real-life Law & Order star, while still believably portraying a farcical version of a DA. She, Greene and Klincaid are supported by a slew of talented supporting ensemble members — Annie Bond, Tara Cox, Godfrey Flax, Kerr Lordygan, and Tifanie McQueen — who play a variety of kooky characters, including the aforementioned suspects, a whiny lieutenant, and a cynical forensics specialist, to name a few.
The weakest point of the production is the musical aspect, only because the numbers do little to advance the plot. They mostly exist to poke fun at silly situations already spoofed in the dialogue. Jeremy Adelman’s soundtrack however mostly remains within the genre of jazzy mystery, evoking a film noire ambiance that pairs nicely with the play’s satirical theme. Amanda Knehans’s minimal production design allows for plenty of movement, which comes in handy to showcase Lou Becker’s straightforward but effective choreography, and incorporates projections that clearly help separate the constantly-shifting scenes.
Law and Order: The Musical! is about as a goofy as it sounds. But for those who are either into the show or are just in the mood to see our criminal justice system rightfully caricatured, the astute production will inevitably be a good time.
The Broadwater Second Stage, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; through Mar. 15 [NOTE: Closed early due to COVID-19]. https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4470025. Running time: 85 minutes with no intermission..
