My overall impression
Review by Pauline Adamek. *This review first appeared on www.ArtsBeatLA.com *
The Lost Moon Radio kids have done it again, serving up a screamingly funny, pitch perfect musical parody entitled “Million Dollar Hair.” This new and hilarious musical spoof show purportedly celebrates the life and death of fictional music industry icon Bernie Schonfeld. We learn all about the dodgy career of this “legendary” record producer and music mogul as we attend a tribute concert hosted by his meek and somewhat neglected daughter January Schonfeld (Leslie Korein).
Stumbling over big words such as “entrepreneurial” and “cacophony,” our sweet narrator haltingly outlines her father’s early life. (He was “the son of Czechoslovakian immigrants.”) A slide show of awkward family portraits and embarrassing (faux) album covers soon builds a picture of a music producer who had his finger on the pulse of the worst trends of the seventies, eighties and nineties. Through his label ‘Million Dollar Records,’ over the decades Bernie’s fortunes rose and fell.
The show unfolds as a parade of Bernie’s artists take to the stage — all of questionable talent. The remaining five cast members adopt different outfits and personae to portray various singers. We meet Terry Chivers (“Bernie’s first success story,”) who through a frozen grin sings his hit tune ‘Living with Lockjaw.’
The lyrics are just amazingly riotous, beautifully building the central theme of each parody tune until you’re virtually rolling in the aisles. Dan Oster plays C. J. Throttle — a posturing rock star reminiscent of both David Lee Roth and Bret Michaels. In his rock hit ‘Staycation’ lyrics include “I’m gonna pay all my bills with the cash I save, Gonna get my tan from the microwave…” It’s hilarious stuff.
All of the songs are clever sound-alikes of everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Alanis Morisette to prepubescent pop tarts. We hear tragic power ballads, rock tunes, a deliberately monotonous German techno dance track (a robotic tribute to ‘making love’), a percussive and carnivalesque Eastern European ditty, even a country rock song about – uh – self love entitled ‘Beautiful Face in the Mirror.’ When January takes to the stage to regale us with the title track from her debut (and only) album ‘It Isn’t Not Always This Way’ (sic) that she made her Dad release when she was 20, it’s actually a really fantastic tune despite it being a shrewd parody of those introspective and wistful girly solo guitar pop songs that you’ve heard people like Lisa Loeb release. The call and response participation that Leslie Korein as January elicits from the audience is a highlight of a super fun night.
A program note attributed to Bernie Schonfeld, “When I die, there better be a fuckin’ concert” kind of says it all…“Lost Moon Radio Presents Million Dollar Hair” is a fantastic show where the humor and performances are perfectly pitched, so props to co-writer and director Lauren Ludwig and producer Monica Miklas. Book is by Frank Smith, Ryan Harrison and Lauren Ludwig. Music and lyrics are by Dylan Ris, Mikey Wells, Ryan Harrison, Lauren Flans with lyrics also contributed by Frank Smith and music also contributed by Brenton Kossak.
Live performance is from band members Dylan Ris, Brenton Kossak, Dan Wessels and Eric Kalver.
Do not miss this show!