‘cleaVage’ from MusicalWriters.com (@ Lakeside Community Theatre)
Photos by Aly Badalamenti and Joshua Pak, and courtesy of MusicalWriters.com
—Carol M. Rice
Well, who’d’a thunk….
That a hilarious new musical comedy about the rise, fall, and rebound (okay, you find better puns) of silicone gel breast implants would receive its world premiere in of all places, the calm, family-filled Texas suburb of The Colony?
And that I would run out of adjectives to describe how amazing this show is.
Because that’s definitely what happened.
cleaVage, playing a sold-out run (but there’s a wait list; see below) at Lakeside Community Theatre in a production by MusicalWriters.com, was first conceived by Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. Ron Friedman after he saw Hamilton in 2019—and realized that (unlike Hamilton) the fascinating yet untold history of breast implants had never been given the full musical treatment. Then came the pandemic, and Dr. Friedman set about creating (and writing down) the stories, the tunes, the lyrics.
In 2022, talented writer Laura Goodenow joined the project, and eventually Rebecca Lowrey, head of MusicalWriters.com, came on board to help bring the show to life.
Considering that breast augmentation is the No. 1 plastic surgery operation performed worldwide, I honestly shouldn’t be surprised that its history has made it to the stage. Women are bombarded by the belief they must have perfect bodies—and especially. perfect breasts. This is brought home in cleaVage’s opening number, simply called “Boobs!,” and in the one following, “Barbie Doll.” That is the ideal, right?
Enter Dr. John Conan, played with self-important arrogance by Josh Hepola, and Dr. Hank Rousseau, played with far less confidence and far more empathy by Jacob Catalano. While Conan gets more of the glory, it seems Rousseau did much of the development of the original silicone breast implants, including trying them out first on a dog named Esmerelda. Hepola and Catalano work well together as a team and both have fabulous voices. Their contrasting personalities and styles make for some juicy conflict.
As Tammy Brie Harley, the first human to receive silicone implants, Natalie Hinds is just adorable. She not only gets to shine in her solo “Faith and Hope,” she’s also completely believable as a fighter for women’s rights, especially when it comes to control over their bodies. Hinds gives a really solid, multi-layered performance.
Then Lauren Urso Gray shows up as Glenda Byrne, a breast cancer survivor who wants to feel whole again. Believe it or not, this is the first time Rousseau has had to create an implant from scratch—and a single one at that. Gray and Catalano have excellent chemistry as they fall in love, have a child, and deal with a recurrence of Byrne’s breast cancer.
By then, the dangers of silicone have resulted in massive change in the breast implant industry, resulting in French doctor Hugo Aryonn’s less popular saline implants getting a chance. Robert Bradford Smith plays up the campiness of Aryonn, alongside the ridiculously funny Jason Philip Solís (listed as Swing/Ensemble and playing several funny roles). These two completely bring it in “Saline is Safe” as they rap/battle it out with Hepola and Dow Attorney Daniel Hernandez. Hernandez has a rubber face and is great fun to watch.
Joseph Kaminski plays a Dow Executive (and a handful of other memorable characters, particularly a man reading a Playboy in a doctor’s office waiting room) with smarm and smirks.
Jessica Willis, Sarah Floyd, Lindey Kay Smith, and Brigitte Wilson portray a number of real and generic women who run the gamut of being excited about getting implants to learning they have problems, as well as playing everyone else in the show. This foursome is a vocal powerhouse, and they also handle Christina Kudlicki’s fun, energetic choreography perfectly. Kudlicki’s dance sequences are fabulous throughout.
As our Greek-chorus-style narrator DeeDee Richtor, Kya “KJ” James is the queen of double entendre, keeping the audience on the edge of our seats as to how she’s going to make a boob joke next. But James also has a serious side, and her beautifully heartfelt solo “A Woman Like Me” is the perfect wrap-up to the history lesson.
Rebecca Lowrey is the director and musical director of cleaVage, and has put together a dynamite cast of triple threats, deftly guiding them through this amazing new musical. The harmonies are tight (“French Whines” is just one example), the solos are strong, and everyone is perfectly cast. Lowrey also utilizes the intimate space at Lakeside Community Theatre well, making the most of scenic designer Spencer Bovaird’s bright set.
cleaVage also has a six-piece live band onstage, consisting of Lowrey (conducting and on keyboard 1), Kelley Poche Rodriguez (keyboard 2), Steven Arenz (bass), Maristella Feustle (guitar), Jaime Zolfaghari (drums), and Bethany Hardwick (fiddle). It was great to see how many patrons congratulated the band after the show.
Jessie Wallace’s costume design is spot on and manages to emphasize or de-emphasize the ladies’ breasts when needed. Bekka Glaze deserves special kudos for the props design, as I KNOW some of that medical stuff could not have been easy to come by or create. Mia Lindemann’s lighting design was fun and colorful, and sound designer Brian Christensen made sure we could hear everyone. His mic work was excellent.
I love seeing new works but am often disappointed that they really aren’t quite ready for an audience. I absolutely cannot say that about cleaVage. With music and lyrics by Dr. Ron Friedman and book by Laura Goodenow with Dr. Friedman, this is a solid, entertaining, funny, and (dare I say?) educational new musical, ready for a bright future.
I’m thrilled to have been in one of the first audiences of the full production! I would tell you to go buy your tickets NOW, but since the entire run is sold out, I highly recommend showing up early to get on the waiting list.
cleaVage really is the must-see event of the season.
WHEN: October 3-18, 2025
WHERE: Lakeside Community Theatre, 6303 Main Street, The Colony TX
WEB: lctthecolony.com
