What I liked
What I didn't like
My overall impression
Last year’s must #SeeItLA, “Alien Vs. Musical” returns with a 90 minute full-length version.
The music and lyrics are masterfully composed by Erik Przytulski, for example the first song performed by Harold (Nick Emmett McGee) of “The Music Man” could have been a trunk song (a song that didn’t make a production’s final cut) written by Meredith Willson – if the subject matter wasn’t about aliens. The creature design by Steve Troop is just as magical as last year. Plus, the book written by Przytulski and Troop shows a deep understanding of musicals and makes a hilarious parody. All of this makes this a #SeeItLA, again, if you like musicals or have a little bit of knowledge about them. Like last year, you do not need to have seen “Alien” to enjoy this.
The ensemble does a great job acting as some of the most beloved musical characters in an easy to recognized way – like they have been plucked from their productions and dropped in the Land of Musicals. Allie Costa, who plays Annie, steals the show with her embodiment of the stereotypical bright-eyed Annie and then growing into a cynical broken child with excellent comedic timing. Also, Costa is the only member of the ensemble to consistently sing at an easy to hear volume. The rest of the ensemble had no issues delivering dialogue at an audible level, but during some of the songs, one had to lean in to catch all the words. I was sitting third row in the center and would suggest that anyone seeing this show gets there early and not to sit further back than that.
“Alien vs. Musical” remains a #SeeItLA because it’ll leave you in stitches from laughing so hard and help you rediscover your love of musicals.
