Review by anonymous
June 06, 2017What I liked
Music composition.
What I didn't like
Everything else.
My overall impression
This musical made me so mad, I don’t even know where to start. Whether it’s the lack of creativity, the failed attempt at humor, the misogyny, or the fact that every number ran about twice as long as it should have, Narsociety is not for anyone seeking an enjoyable, entertaining experience.
On the surface, Narsociety is a commentary on modern life’s dependency on technology, mainly exploiting social media and connectivity apps. The clever title and catchy tunes are merely masks for the underlying message and themes of the show which are either offensive or just plain ignorant.
Spoiler alert****
The story follows a struggling cartoonist who swoons a young naïve woman through an online dating app (naturally). He lands a lucky meeting with a tech guru and instantly becomes a “super rich famous man”. Following his success, his relationship with the naïve woman progresses (I mean, who doesn’t love a guy with fame and fortune). One day, he flies out of town for a business trip while she waits for him at home (obviously, this is how relationships should be). Before taking flight he sends her an inappropriate drawing per her request (she asked for it). She posts it to Facebook to get her girl friends’ perspectives (because she can’t make her own decisions). Her friends don’t like it and the cartoon is subsequently torn apart by an up and coming blogger (also a woman, because she’s a feminazi), which then goes viral and ultimately leads to the demise of the cartoonist (poor guy). It becomes a battle of the sexes (as is life, apparently), ending with an inexplicable apology by the girlfriend who begs his forgiveness (get on your knees and say you’re sorry). All is amended and they live happily ever after (with her making him sandwiches in the kitchen) and they close the show with an uplifting number (an insensitive and out of place song aimed at hermaphrodites).
End spoiler*****
The first red flag is that the writer, composer, director, producer and star are all the same guy. It reveals that either no one else wanted to work with him (for good reason) or that he’s too controlling of his content (which could be a reason for the former). He’s too old for the role, but didn’t want to let it go so we get the honor of hearing him yell/sing those high notes.
The attempted humor throughout the show was interpreted as distasteful by an ever-shifting-in-their-seat audience. At times it reminded me of someone trying to retell a joke they heard on South Park at a dinner party. As mentioned, it’s either failed humor or he really just doesn’t know any better.
An apology is built into the show, but he never actually apologizes. He says things like, “maybe it was wrong of me” but never shows any sign of remorse, only signs of a pitiful guy who’s been victimized by the opposite sex. He claims the right to just “be himself” without having to worry about anyone else. Say what you wanna say. Boys will be boys. You can do whatever you want when you’re famous. Grab ‘em by the pussy.
The supporting cast has some chops, but it felt like the chorus was simply walking through the actions, probably due to lack of confidence or direction, or lack of confidence in the direction. The use of a projector screen with graphics – synced to the music and dialogue – was a little distracting at times, but could ultimately be the show’s saving grace.
The music composition itself is actually pretty good, but is clouded by music that sounds like it was recorded on a 90’s Casio keyboard complete with super awesome synthesizer sounds (thumbs up, bro). Not that you can really hear it over the unnecessary use of personal headset microphones (it’s Brittany, bitch) blasting the voices loudly in the 99-seat theater. Each song got the point across quickly and is then carried on for an additional five minutes I’ll never get back.
Leaning on popular hashtags and social media platforms distracts from what’s wrong with America – I mean this show. There aren’t enough trending topics in the world wide web to make me forget about the white male privilege this musical stealthily advocates.
Maybe it’s wrong of me to write such a harsh review, but it’s how I feel.
#sorrynotsorry
