Oversharing @ Jeffrey's World

Re-Animator: The Musical

Tonight, I went to see Re-Animator: The Musical again. I never imagined that I'd see the words "Re-Animator" and "The Musical" together in the same sentence (let alone the same title), but it not only exists, it's an incredibly funny, over-the-top piece of musical theater. Based on the 1985 feature film (and with effects work by the same people responsible for said film), which was, in turn, loosely based on the short story Herbert West - Reanimator by H.P. Lovecraft, Re-Animator: The Musical has an outstanding cast with great chemistry. The show has done so well, and has been so popular, that it was just extended... for the fourth time.

The place to be when watching the show is in the first two rows. This is the splash zone. Yes, Re-Animator combines both the highbrow (clever dialogue and lyrics) and the lowbrow (partial nudity of both the male and female leads providing eye candy for everyone present, absurdly gratuitous amounts of fake blood). This is a show where you can chuckle along with a song where one character accuses another of plagiarism, get sprayed by fake blood on several occasions, and witness a scene that is routinely stolen... by a puppet of an undead cat.

After the show, the cast is gracious and seems to genuinely enjoy conversing with members of the audience who linger in order to meet them. It's obvious that they love performing in the show, and the small venue of Hollywood's Steve Allen Theater ensures that the crowds aren't too large. There's talk of taking the show to a larger venue, and the uncertainty that would bring to the actors' continued presence in their roles. I hope the show continues to do well, and I, for one, intend to see it at least one more time before its final curtain is called.

For tickets and information, visit the Steven Allen Theater's web site.