‘The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)’ @ Company of Rowlett Performers
Photos courtesy of CORP Theatre
—Carol M. Rice
Every so often I go to a show I’ve never seen before and wonder why it’s not done to death. The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) is just such a show. With music by Eric Rockwell and lyrics by Joanne Bogart (and a book by the two of them), this is not only a spoof of all the big, popular musicals over the last 50+ years, it’s also a love letter to the theatre. And it can even be done with a small cast and piano accompaniment! What’s not to love?
The show was first produced Off-Broadway in 2003, so it does miss out on the Disney behemoth and more recent musicals such as Hamilton, but I didn’t miss them.
In The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), one basic story becomes five hilarious and distinctive short musicals. The basic plot: June is an ingenue who can’t pay the rent and is threatened by her evil landlord. Will the handsome leading man come to the rescue?
The entire show is directed ably by Alex Bigus, and the first musical is done in the style of Rodgers and Hammerstein, with songs reminiscent of Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and Carousel, to name a few. Grant Palmore and Skylar Navratil are sweetly convincing as Billy (The Hero) and June (The Ingenue), with Matthew Jenkins taking on Jitter (The Villain) and Andrea Fernandez Tom as Abby (The Matron). Fernandez Tom’s soaring vocals are wonderful here, and Palmore and Navratil have a great time spoofing the classics while not skimping on the songs.
The second musical belongs to Stephen Sondheim, with Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and Company taking center stage (pardon the pun). Here Aaron Tom takes over as Billy, as Jenkins’ villain adds plot bits from the Roger Corman B-movie A Bucket of Blood to the mix...because baking people into pies isn’t enough?
While Jerry Herman (in the third spot) might not be as easily recognizable to an average theatre-goer as some of the other musical makers, Hello, Dolly! and Mame come together beautifully in this energetic spoof, especially with the brilliantly funny Sherry Etzel taking over as Abby. Her physical comedy and spot-on Carol Channing impersonation are absolutely fabulous.
Act II brings us to the song stylings of Andrew Lloyd Webber, with Tess Namath Beck now playing June, Mizani Washburn as Abby, and Palmore as Jitter. As one might expect, Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Cats play a huge part in this one. I won’t spoil it for you, but Palmore’s transformation from one show’s character to another show’s character is ridiculously funny! His voice and physical control in this one are exceptional.
The fifth musical is in the style of Kander and Ebb, best known for Cabaret, Chicago, and A Chorus Line. Here Jitter is again played by Tom, and Etzel is back with more shameless hilarity as Abby. Too, too funny! Etzel really is worth the price of admission.
Janel Cooper and Jed Davis round out the cast: the actors who are not playing Billy, Abby, June, or Jitter in a particular musical fill in as ensemble. This entire group is strong vocally, although at times some of the mics didn’t seem to be on, or perhaps not set properly.
According to his director’s notes, Alex Bigus has been a fan of The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) since he was in college, and his love for the piece shows. He obviously gets the completely different musical styles he’s dealing with, and brings out the best in his performers as they move in and out of these various styles. His collaboration with musical director Mitchell Alleluia-Feinberg has resulted in a completely entertaining, totally FUN evening of theatre.
Alleluia-Feinberg is the lone musician, by the way, but his work at the baby grand is more than enough. What an exceptional performance he gives on those keys, especially in the Andrew Lloyd Webber section! He also provides bits of narration and a little singing throughout, while deftly swapping out his costume pieces between musicals to match what’s going on.
Speaking of costumes, no one was credited in the program, but the slightly varied black base outfit worn by each cast member—embellished with show-appropriate costume pieces—worked well overall, but could have been more consistent.
A choreographer was also not credited, but what was there worked well overall for each of the musicals’ styles. I did sometimes wonder whether the “bad theatre” aspects of the show were written into the script or something that Bigus added in.
My one question about why The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) isn’t done more may be this: would an audience not familiar with these musicals and styles enjoy it? I honestly can’t answer that because I am definitely the correct demographic for this show! What I can say is that the audience at the performance I attended totally got it and laughed loudly and often, which is what you want.
CORP’s production of The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) is a lot of fun, well-produced, and a thoroughly enjoyable night out at the theatre. I hope other theatre companies in the area take a page from Company of Rowlett Performers and bring this one back again, and soon. Until then, go see this rarely-done musical before it’s gone!
WHEN: February 13-22, 2026
WHERE: Plaza Theatre, 521 W. State Street, Garland TX
WEB: corptheatre.org
