What I liked
I really loved the choice to make the producer one of the central forces of the story. I’ve been on both sides of that creative back-and-forth, and I thought that the show really nailed the dynamic of what it’s like to work in a creative office studio. (Down to the pompous jackasses who often seem to ooze their way up to the top.) The songs are catchy, the jokes are funny. It gets a little irreverent without ever being crass or losing heart. I was fortunate enough to see both the main cast and the understudies, and want to highlight the performances of Mona and Liz for keeping the story strong and grounded. They are relatable yet flawed characters. I found them easy to root for, even when I didn’t think they were making the right choices.
The C-Suite boy band and their hype lady (who shines in that role and as a no-nonsense reporter AND as a —literally— bubbly stimulant fairy) were guaranteed to put a smile on their face even as you despised every action they took.
In a similar vein, the C-Word song was a major highlight. “CBT means two VERY different things” might be the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.
The inciting incident is a pretty heinous offstage incident that the production wisely doesn’t go into detail about. The focus is on the women attempting to rise in the vacuum created by the vile studio founder’s absence. Even with him only appearing for two numbers, the shadow of his deeds hangs over the show until the inevitable payoff. It’s a strange moment, because the song is incredibly catchy and even kind of funny, but the unfortunately familiar experience makes your heart hurt a little.
What I didn't like
The ending comes at you pretty quick, even though this is one of the longer shows I saw this year. While I like the bittersweet ending, I felt like too many strings were left untied when the curtain fell.
My overall impression
A fun, peppy new musical that keeps things light without shying away from the dark side of its storyline.
