Graham Kurtz and Diego Huerta-Gutierrez (Photo by Ren Shelburne)
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
The Jaxx Theatre
Through October 30
RECOMMENDED
JD Morabito, Erin Lee Smith, Cierra Watkins
Jackson Landreau & AJ Sear (Photo by Ren Shelburne)
Jaxx Theatricals continues the celebration of its 20th anniversary season with this cabaret styled rock musical. It’s a rollicking good time packed with original songs and quite a few familiar oldies from the Golden Age of Rock Music.
Written, directed and choregraphed by Jeremy Lucas, with music cleverly arranged and conducted by James Lent, the narrative follows Bobbie (Sam DV Jones) and Jolly (Diego Huerta-Guttierez) both struggling with issues of loneliness and addiction, as they stumble into a surreal cabaret. There they meet a creepy host named Rogo (Graham Kuntz), outfitted in a black leather suit, and sporting a villainous mustache he frequently twirls, who takes them in and encourages their musical ambitions by way of a series of auditions. And not surprisingly, Bobbie and Jollie develop something of a romantic attachment to each other.
Bobbie and Jollie and their story are just part of the fun here. Rogo and the cabaret’s crew of scary denizens keep the flame burning with a fully engaging line-up of original music and dance numbers, all artfully laced together by Lent, who plays keyboards, and has included tunes from icons of rock like Hendrix, Joplin, and Morrison.
Atmosphere plays a key role in this production, thanks to JD Morabito and Colin Tracy’s scenic design. There is a small stage at center, red curtains envelop the area, tables and chairs line the two opposing walls, and the floor and walls are speckled with an array of eerie drawings by Laurille Tracy that are affectively augmented by Madeline Miller’s lighting.
Lent does a lot with a little space, and his choreography and marshaling of this large ensemble is impressive. Keny Marine provides an assortment of colorful costumes. Josh Bartley, Eric McCann and Justin Lottie round out a very talented band.
The Jaxx Theatre, 5432 Santa Monica Blvd., E. Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm., Sun., 7 pm. Wed.-Thurs., Oct 28-29, 8 pm: thru Oct. 30. https://events.leapevents.com/event/club27 Running time: two hours and twenty minutes with an intermission.
