Screen-to-stage adaptations and jukebox musicals abound in contemporary theatre, and the new musical “Mystic Pizza”, is both.
Part 1980s hit parade, part repurposed coming-of-age romantic comedy, it’s seemingly perfect light-hearted summer stock fare; and in Director Patrick Hunter’s hands at the Barn Theatre with a largely talented ensemble and bright technical elements with terrific attention to detail, this show is a feel-good throwback with vintage appeal.
With book by Sandy Rustin, the story closely follows the 1988 film written by Amy Holden Jones that offered Julia Roberts her breakout role as one of three archetypal characters: young women from working-class, immigrant families in provincial Mystic, Connecticut, townies from Portuguese fishing stock amid the yuppies and old money from nearby Hartford.
Daisy (Kendall Grady) is a sassy flirt who effortlessly garners attention for her looks but lacks direction and lives in the shadow of her Yale-bound sister Kat (Elizabeth Volpe) who aspires to be an astronomer and though totally turned on by the stars and sky has never been kissed. Their bubbly friend JoJo (Addie Skillman) loves her boyfriend since kindergarten (Luke Ragotzy) who’s eager to marry, but she resists—and even passes out at the altar—for fear she’ll lose herself to mediocrity. It’s their last summer working at the local pizza parlor run by wise spinster Leona (Penelope Alex) who suffers no fools and loves the girls as if they’re her own, and each of them is on a quest of self discovery through love and hard life choices, though in the end they always have each other.
Tightly crafted scenes are punctuated by familiar hits, mostly from the ‘80s, arranged by Carmel Dean and performed live on stage by a four-piece rock band led by Matt Shabala that serves as the show’s orchestra as well as plays a local dive bar band. Songs such as John Mellencamp’s “Small Town” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” set the tone and frame the story effectively; Debbie Gibson’s “Lost in Your Eyes”, Pat Benatar’s ‘Hit Me with Your Best Shot”, Belinda Carlisle’s “Mad About You” nicely communicate the emotion of their respective moments; however, other tunes, such as Van Morrison’s 1970 “Into the Mystic”, Wilson Phillips’ “Hold On” as the Act I closing anthem, and Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” come across more as cabaret numbers or musical interlude asides that don’t entirely fit the story instead of useful ways to develop plot or character.
And though the ensemble does a wonderful job capturing the spunky 1980s spirit in movement and style, with delightful choreography by Melissa Cotton Hunter (including a Rick Astley line dance that’s so fun it should go viral) and fabulous period costumes by Alex Szczotka (from puffy sleeved sherbet-colored shiny formals to off-the-shoulder tees, tucked-in sweaters, high-waisted khakis, denim mini skirts, and a leg warmer here and there)—they even dance their way on and off stage moving set pieces, and the soloists are excellent singers—this isn’t a cast with vocals that naturally lean stylistically toward rock or even pop.
Their best work is in capturing the energy of big numbers, such as Mike + The Mechanics “All I Need is a Miracle” mashed up with Kim Wilde’s “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” and in pretty duets, where there’s easy chemistry, such as those between Elizabeth Volpe and Owen Squire Smith as well as between Addie Skillman and Luke Ragotzy. And though the natural connection isn’t quite there between Kendall Grady and Joe Kotze, they’re lovely singers both and sound wonderful together.
But it’s also a show that is still in development, having been workshopped in 2021 at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine and having had a West Coast premiere earlier this year. Though it’s an effective adaptation of a cult-classic period film shot through with recognizable tunes from the ‘80s, with comedic and romantic elements, it is almost, but not quite, campy. It suffers from being neither fully earnest nor in the realm of full-on spoof a la “Rock of Ages”; and without an original score tailored to the story like “Waitress”, it falls short of its storytelling potential.
However, The Barn production has plenty of sparkling moments. In addition to the wonderful choreography and costumes, the set designed by Patrick Hunter and Brett Burradell (in tandem with clever projections by Burradell that create distinct interiors and exteriors) perfectly places the action in various locations with a real New England feel, including shaker shingle lined walls and an upstage pier.
And there are standout performances throughout, at times in surprising places. Penelope Alex provides heart, depth, and vulnerability with her real-talking mama bear Leona who also knows how to have fun; Steven Lee Burright is a stitch as the rigid and feared food critic The Fireside Gourmet; Edward Doerr as burnout friend and band member of Bill’s makes laugh-out-loud comedic moments out of very little; and Patrick Hunter and Katie Snowday turn a little class-clashing family dinner into one of the most memorable scenes of the night with their subtle character choices as the Windsor parents.
This is the kind of artistry and playfulness that ultimately drive this production. The tremendous successes both large and small make feel-good music, colorful nostalgia, and exuberant love and friendship its lasting impressions and transform the whole experience into a fun night of live performance—that also offers the added bonus of homemade “Mystic Pizza” from their on-site Back 40 pizzeria to be enjoyed at the Bar Show cabaret after the MainStage performance, featuring many of the performers up close and personal and in a slightly different light.
Mystic Pizza
The Barn Theatre
July 9-21
https://barntheatreschool.org/events/event/mystic-pizza-80s-musical/
