Theater Review by Ron Fassler . . .

It’s big (well, not that big).

It’s gay (it’s very gay).

And if a log line like “Stacey woke up in some b*tch ass Music Man world where everybody keeps bursting into song & dance, and where gay still just means happy,” then this is your jam and you’re in for one hell of a jamboree. 

Constantine Rousouli as Bert in Big Gay Jamboree.

The Big Gay Jamboree, currently playing at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue, is a new musical from one of the minds that created Titanique, still running off-Broadway since its premiere two years ago. A take-off on Celine Dion and the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, Marla Mindelle, who co-wrote the book, music and lyrics and starred as Dion, is back as the star of Big Gay Jamboree. She’s really the whole show and earns the attention and certainly the applause. As Stacey, a co-dependent, failing actress, Mindelle’s way with an audience is sly, crafty, charming, and altogether her own. I don’t think I was alone in wanting to follow her to the end of the earth at the finish of this musical spoof (that’s also a spoof of musicals). It’s 100 minutes of inspired silliness and pretty much dares anyone to exit the theater without a big smile on their face.

Natalie Walker as Flora in Big Gay Jamboree.

Co-writing the book with Jonathan Parks-Ramage, and the score with Philip Drennen, Mindelle places herself smack in the middle of the show, starring as a woman who wakes up after a hefty night of drinking to find herself inexplicitly trapped in a musical (hence the overwhelming gayness). She also can’t understand why there’s an audience, leaving the audience each night to play the audience, if that makes sense (and if you’re sitting in the first three rows, be prepared to be part of the play). A ton is borrowed from a slew of American musicals, used as fodder from traditional Broadway to rock, along with healthy borrowings from The Wizard of Oz and other iconically gay tropes. Three big songs almost completely stop the show: the first one—which actually did—is a sensational gospel production number delivered by Paris Nix; an actor completely new to me with a singing voice of exceptional proportions. The second showstopper is an insane sex song (the lyrics are hysterical) delivered by Natalie Walker, who gives 110% and nearly blows the roof off the old Orpheum Theatre. The third is by a late arriving character named Bert, the gayest of gay men in short-shorts and a poufy blonde wig. He’s played by Constantine Rousouli, the co-creator of Titanique with Mindelle, and his side-splitting version of Donna McKechnie’s “Music and the Mirror” from in A Chorus Line is alone worth the price of admission. And mention must be made of SNL’s Alex Moffat, so good in last season’s The Cottage on Broadway, who takes narcissism to hilarious levels in his portrayal of Keith, Stacey’s toxic boyfriend. Moffat, like so many in the cast, are wonderful physical comedians.

The plot is ridiculous and yet still finds a way to solve Stacey’s love and trust issues. Of course, at the same time it’s tugging at your heart it can’t help but sneak up behind you and pull down your pants. This seeming clash of sensibilities works because tone is everything and director and choreographer Connor Gallagher is very sure of his sight. His previous work includes choreography for The Robber Bridegroom (2016) and Beetlejuice (2019), which undoubtedly helped him earn his director’s wings. Kudos to the comedic scenic design from Dots (always love a turntable, about which Mindelle has a comment or two), whimsical costumes by Sarah Cubbage, and festive lighting by Brian Tovar. The show looks expensive even on the cramped stage of the Orpheum (could management spring for a paint job and a sprucing up?). 

Alex Moffat as Keith and Marla Mindelle in Big Gay Jamboree.

No song titles are listed in the program because their titles are giveaways of the jokes to come. But you won’t be looking at your program much at Big Gay Jamboree. You’ll be too busy focused to what’s going on onstage—a delicious night out (or afternoon) of campy gay, gay, gay fun.

The Big Gay Jamboree is at the Orpheum Theatre, 126 Second Avenue, NYC. For further details please visit: https://biggayjamboreethemusical.com.

Photos by Matthew Murphy.

Headline photo: Marla Mindelle.