Here's what Mystic Pizza: A New Musical got right:
- The book: playwright Sandy Rustin, whose adaptation of Clue is playing across the river at the Orpheum Theatre this weekend, and whose clever and modern Noël Coward-esque play The Cottage premiered on Broadway in 2023 and was produced by our very own Gremlin Theatre this summer, was the one thing that gave me hope for this show before seeing it, and she did not disappoint. The musical hews very close to the plot of the movie (which I just re-watched last week, so it was fresh in my mind) - three young women, JoJo and sisters Daisy and Kat, in a small town in Connecticut finding (and maybe losing) love as they find their way in life. Minor changes include changing Kat's babysitting job, where she falls in love with a married man, to a rental property management job (maybe they didn't want to deal with a having a child in the cast), and amping up each woman's independence, agency, and drive. Kat is still going off to Yale to be an astronomer, and now Daisy wants more than to just "get out of Mystic," maybe with a career in the law, and JoJo wants to run the pizza shop. These minor tweaks make the '80s story a little more modern.
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| Leona (Tieisha Thomas), Daisy (Chloë Lezotte), Kat (Kendall Becerra), and Jo Jo (Lexxi Frilles, photo by Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made) |
- The music: this jukebox musical uses big hits from the '80s that even this nerd who spent most of the '80s doing homework and watching TV is familiar with. And with a few exceptions, the songs fit the story and are well used to heighten the emotion and (mostly) stay on plot. John Mellencamp's "Small Town" is a perfect opening scene to show us the world of Mystic, Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "True Colors" are perfectly placed, Melissa Ethridge's "I'm the Only One" aptly expresses Daisy's rage when she thinks her beau is cheating on her (even though it's early '90s), and Wilson Phillip's 1990 "Hold On" is a great anthem. Sure, Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" is from the '70s, but I'm sure the connection to the title was too much to resist. And The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hanging On" is from the '60s, but it's a great song and works in a medley with "All I Need is a Miracle." That's only a fraction of the almost two dozen songs in the show. (And yes, I did have to google the artist for most of these songs.)
- The set: With so many current shows using projections, it was refreshing to see this production go a little more old school, using scrims and backdrops. Throughout most of the show, the backdrop is a charming coastal town, with boats docked at the pier, and charming buildings, beautifully lit to show the changing time of day. There's also a backdrop of fancy windows for the country club scenes, and a black curtain that's lowered to hide them both. The most common location is, of course, the pizza shop, represented by a door in a portion of a brick wall, and the pizza counter, with red-checkered tables for the customers. Different couches represent different homes, and a dock is occasionally rolled out in pieces to let us know we're on the water. And scene transitions are gracefully done, with some choreography to move set pieces in and out. (Set design by Joshua Warner, lighting design by Dalton Hamilton.)
- The band: I love it when the band is incorporated into this show, so I was thrilled the first time the backdrop flew into the rafters to reveal the six-person band (including music director John Tengowiski on keys) sitting on an elevated space at the back of the stage. Several of the characters in the play are in a band, so they sometimes join in. We see the band several times throughout the show, which is such a great choice and really makes the music come alive.
- The dancing: director/choreographer Jennifer Werner, who also worked with the playwright as associate director of The Cottage on Broadway, seamlessly weaves together all of the scenes and locations. And the dancing is so fun and so '80s, yet modern and fresh, it'll make you want to jump up out of your seat and join along (but please don't, this is a theater, not a rock concert!).
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| photo by Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made |
- The cast: this fantastically talented young cast, most of whom were probably not born when the movie premiered, includes seven strong leads and eight ensemble members playing multiple characters (including Richard Morgan stealing scenes in several different roles). The movie is of course most famous for being Julia Roberts' breakout performance, difficult shoes (and curly-haired wig) to step into, but Chloë Lezotte does it fearlessly. From my seat in Row R, she very much looked the part, even with some of Julia's mannerisms, but makes the role wholly her own. And she has a gorgeously effortless voice, bringing new meaning to these familiar songs. Completing this terrific trio are Kendall Becerra as Kat, so sweet and earnest, but not without spice; and Lexxi Frilles as the spunky and fast-talking JoJo. The boys are pretty great too, including Jack Baylis as Daisy's rich boy love interest, Matt Woodward as JoJo's on-again-off-again fiance (a member of the band), and understudy Travis Flynt as Kat's married but charming love. Last but not least, Tieisha Thomas is so great as pizza shop owner Leona, I wish she had more songs. And of course, they're all dressed in fun, but not too over-the-top, '80s fashions, with many variations of the Mystic Pizza t-shirt (costume design by Jen Caprio, who designed the stunning costumes for Cabaret at the Guthrie last summer).
If you're a fan of the movie Mystic Pizza, I think you won't be disappointed by this adaptation. And if you love the '80s, it's definitely the show for you.
