Review: DISASTER Delights at La Comedia Dinner Theatre

What do you get when you combine disco, a series of calamities and a floating casino? You get the hilarious romp DISASTER playing now at La Comedia Dinner Theatre.

DISASTER, by Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick, premiered on Broadway in 2016. Unfortunately, it premiered in the same season as a little show called HAMILTON, which overshadowed the show and it was only open a short time. It deserved more attention because it is a campy, fun jukebox musical, particularly for those that remember the disco craze and the over the top disaster films of the 70s. Director/Choreographer Chris Byerly does well by the material as he seems to have a particular knack to make the most of campy material and make it extremely entertaining.

This is one of those musicals that are so much fun because the ensemble is a cohesive unit and everyone plays so well off of the others. Throw in some fun puppetry and a little schtick and it all worked. There were a few stand out performances. The best written character in the show is Sister Mary and Alison Moore plays her to side-splitting perfection, especially with my favorite number "Torn Between Two Lovers". Noah Engle is energetic and amusing as twins Ben/Lisa and Digger Howard, as Ted, the unlikely hero of the group. Other favorite songs included "25 or 6 to 4", "I am Woman", "Knock Three Times", and of course, "I will Survive" although I do wish the script allowed for more complete presentation of some of the songs, rather than just snippets. All in all, DISASTER is a great way to spend an evening just being entertained. Even if you aren't familiar with the music, I think you will still get the joke.

DISASTER runs at La Comedia Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings; Thursday and Friday matinees and brunch on Sundays through November 3, 2019. For tickets, go to www.lacomedia.com, or call 937-746-4554 or 1-800-677-9505.

Photo courtesy of La Comedia Dinner Theatre

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