Jennifer Chung Klam

San Diego Arts

'The Big Bang' at North Coast Rep

Cosmic crank
By Jennifer Chung Klam
Posted on Jun 04 2008
Last updated Jun 04 2008

Imagine a musical that spans the entire history of the world, costs a cool $83.5 million, features hundreds of actors and lasts 12 hours. Sounds ill conceived, dreadful and unwatchable, right?

Fortunately, the musical about that musical, “The Big Bang,” now playing at the North Coast Repertory Theatre, is far more brief and served up with laughs. Unfortunately, the show’s one-joke premise gets old fast.

Here’s the setup: The creative team of Jed Feuer (Andrew Ableson) and Boyd Graham (Omri Schein) -- the names of the real composer and book writer -- have invited potential investors, aka the audience, to a borrowed Park Avenue apartment for a sneak peek of the most expensive and lavish Broadway musical ever written.

The two wannabe producers present an abridged version, with “highlights” including Adam and Eve singing “Free Food and Frontal Nudity,” Nefertiti belting out “Viva la Diva!,” the Virgin Mary and the mother of Mohandas Gandhi with a duet on “One Helluva Job.” Napoleon and Josephine sing two versions of “Today’s Just Yesterday’s Tomorrow,” one version for the musical and one to top the pop charts, while Tokyo Rose & Shanghai Lil are locked in a battle royale in “Asian Ladies.” You get the idea.

But – and here’s the joke – Jed and Boyd portray the entire cast of characters, men, women, animals... Ableson and Schein have their work cut out for them, racing through the historical and historically fictional figures, each with a different accent – and many with a Yiddish flair, because apparently it’s funnier that way. Both are physical comedians that bound across the stage with endless energy. Schein especially pushes his characters way over the top, often to good effect, such as his Latina homegirl version of Queen Isabella and the smoky voiced Eva Braun, Hitler’s longtime lover.

The songs cover a variety of styles, from jazz, calypso and blues to pop, dance and cabaret. Credit Steven Withers with capably traversing the myriad styles and instrumentation on the electronic keyboard.

Schein and Ableson use whatever objects are on hand to create props and costumes. So a black pot becomes Nefertiti’s crown, a mantle clock turns into Napoleon’s hat, two umbrellas and a red curtain become a Civil War-era hoop skirt, and a circular serving platter transforms into the Virgin Mary’s halo. This creative repurposing is actually the cleverest aspect of the show.

Not that the show isn’t funny; it’s just … a certain kind of funny. Prancing around in your underwear, beating on timeworn racial stereotypes, flinging Yiddishisms and pop culture anachronisms funny. The lyrics run the spectrum from groan-inducing puns to clever one-liners, the site gags are full of sexual innuendos. Ultimately, the story’s paper-thin plot can’t sustain its 80 minutes of utter silliness.

If goofy, carefree musical entertainment is your thing, this might be the show for you. But these actors and this theater could do better.

About the author: Jennifer Chung Klam is an editor at The Daily Transcript and a freelance arts and culture writer.
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