Horny! The Musical
Reviewed by Stephen Fife
Westside Original Works at the Hollywood Fringe Festival
Through June 28
If promotional materials were to be trusted, then our culture would be overwhelmed by masterpieces. But a good idea for a play or musical is not the same thing as a good play or musical, as proven by so many Fringe projects. These often hook the viewer in the first five minutes with an exciting scene or idea, but are without the substance to back them up.
Horny! The Musical exemplifies this type of show perhaps better than any other I’ve seen.
“Social climbing as quickly as possible away from her embarrassingly Bohemian mother and into the arms of a most eligible bachelor, Emily is the luckiest girl in the world — until she starts to grow horns right before the wedding.” This website description is accompanied by a sexually explicit painting (from Titian?) of satyrs, nymphs and naked women out in the forest.
All this, and original songs? Wow, how is that going to work onstage?
The answer is, not very well. At the preview I attended, there were no programs and the staging looked severely under-rehearsed. I have compassion for creator/star Katherine King, who plays Emily. I had an original musical in the 2016 Fringe, and the experience almost killed me. In general, there is simply not enough time to get a new show hitting all cylinders, not when there is a large cast with lots of singing and dancing, as there is here.
Still, even with compassion, I have to say that none of the songs sound interesting, none of the voices are pleasant to listen to, and the audience gets far ahead of the stage action. It’s very difficult to bring on a half-naked, saggy-bellied, middle-aged guy, garb him with goat legs, and expect the audience to take it seriously. It’s funny, but not in the way that King intended.
I give her credit for making her idea a reality. I’m sure the show’s title and promo image will sell some tickets, but this effort remains better as an idea than as an actual show.
The Hobgoblin Playhouse at The Arena Stage, 1625 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood; Sat., Jun. 22, 1:30 p.m.; Sun., Jun. 23, 5 p.m.; Fri., Jun. 28, 9 p.m.; through Jun. 28. https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/6258. Running time: 50 minutes with no intermission.
