What I liked
My favorite number was “Conspiracy,” which perfectly captured the show’s twisted rock-and-roll spirit and showcased the production’s smart, hilarious, and surprisingly nuanced choreography. The cast sounded great across the board, with strong vocal performances from everyone. Sophia Marie Rizzo was fantastic as Stevie, a character you absolutely love to hate. Composer Tyler Rivera Stein delivered strong, memorable songs, along with a great last-minute performance stepping into the role of Bobby. Logan Horberg’s writing and direction were sharp, funny, and full of personality. I left the theater fully entertained and honestly looking forward to the inevitable film adaptation.
What I didn't like
My only notes are on the technical audio side. In a few moments, the music levels overpowered the vocals, which made some lyrics and in-song jokes harder to catch. There were also a couple of times where a performer’s mic seemed to take a few seconds to kick in when they entered. Totally understandable for an opening performance of a live production, and it never took away from my overall experience or enjoyment of the show, but a slightly cleaner audio mix would help every joke and lyric land even stronger.
My overall impression
We saw Dead John on Saturday and had an amazing time. The show has this wild, hilarious energy that feels like Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny crashed headfirst into Final Destination, with inventive deaths, big laughs, and a surprisingly catchy set of songs.
