By Carol Rocamora…
A “woke” ogre saves his town in a madcap new musical at New York City Center
“Welcome to Muddirt! A middle finger to mother nature!” That’s how the townsfolk describe their slimy little hamlet stuck between a factory and a nuclear power plant, with a toxic river running through it. “We have to live here,” they ask us. What’s your excuse?”
The answer: Muddirt is the scene of Bigfoot, a “meshugana” new mini-musical now playing at New York City Center, providing madcap middlebrow merriment to an audience desperate for distraction in our troubled times.
A brainchild of celebrated comedic writer Amber Ruffin (with co-creators David Schmoll and Kevin Sciretto), Bigfoot is a mash-up of styles (vaudeville, SNL, pastiche, slapstick) that surprises us with a disarming political parable on civic morality. Muddirt’s citizens are suffering from poor housing conditions, unemployment, and chronic disease. They complain to their corrupt mayor (Mike Millan), who in turn blames Muddirt’s misfortunates on the giant ogre who lives in the woods called Bigfoot. The mayor organizes a hunt to kill Bigfoot, his scapegoat, to distract the townsfolk from his plans to build a water park called Splashtown on the site where new housing could have been built. As a result, he can enrich himself personally with the help of corporate support.
As it turns out, Amber Ruffin’s Bigfoot is closer to a Renaissance Man than a mammoth monster. Yes, he’s 6 foot 6 inches tall, hairy and scary, but – as played with unapologetic glee by Glen Henson – he’s an absolute sweetie. “Got big feet and a big heart” Bigfoot sings, as he longs to live a “mundane” life in the town he loves and help his fellow citizens. His loving mother Francine (Crystal Lucas-Perry) has brought him up “to do the right thing by the townsfolk who have been traumatized by a corrupt system,” Bigfoot explains with his usual politically-correct, “woke” eloquence.
So how does the hunt turn out, you might wonder? Joanne (a fierce and funny Katerina McCrimmon), described as a bloodthirsty “mongoose on cocaine” whom the mayor appoints as the head of the hunt, ends up falling in love with Bigfoot, and he with her. “Our time on Earth is precious, and we should spend it doing what truly makes our heart sing with joy,” he tells Joanne with articulate ardor.
From there, the plot basically goes bananas with its moralistic reversals. Francine turns the mob around to support Bigfoot: “Save my son! Look into your heart”! Then she almost dies but is brought back to life by the town doctor, who has fallen in love with her and supplies her with unpoisoned water. The corporate CEO (a hilarious Jade Jones) cancels the Splashtown deal. A new mayor – Francine – is appointed, pledging to lead “a radical new form of government in which elected officials aren’t evil or dumb!” The former Mayor is punished, sentenced to community service.
Danny Mefford directs an agile cast playing multiple roles, delivering the lively, hybrid Ruffin/Schmoll score with relish. The lovely-voiced Crystal Lucas-Perry as Francine and Jason Tam as the Doctor make a delightful pair – especially when he is treating her for her fainting spells (he slaps her, and she slaps him in return). Joanne and Bigfoot make an equally charming couple – especially when they sing their love duet “When You Come Around.” As the CEO (and numerous other roles), Jade Jones is hilarious – particularly in the group number “On the Wings (of Money).” Says she: ““I love making money by screwing people over, but I hate being told I shouldn’t do that.” In the matinee performance I attended, Mike Millan displayed admirable physical agility as the mayor who – literally and physically – shoots himself in the foot (choreography also by Mefford).
Bigfoot comes across as a pastiche that makes fun of itself, with its droll scenic design (Tim Mackabee) and colorful costumes (Ricky Reynoso). There are plenty of references to American history and culture (from Amelia Earhart, the Rockefellers, the Kennedys and PBS, to Gloria Estefan, “Les Mis,” and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory). At times, it reminded me of a wilder version of Little Shop of Horrors, an earlier off-Broadway musical gem that has now become a classic. But there is an earnest message embedded in this new antic romp, concerning community responsibility, civic leadership, the environment, the perils of corporate involvement, and so on.
Above all, there’s the character of Bigfoot, whose stereotype haunts many cultures as the scapegoat of society’s ills. In contrast, Ruffin’s Bigfoot is the idealist, the promoter of good. In his own words: “We make the world we want in the one that is.”
Bigfoot, a new musical by Amber Ruffin, David Schmoll and Kevin Sciretto, directed and choreographed by Danny Mefford, now playing at the New York City Center in association with Manhattan Theatre Club until April 5.
Photos: Marc J. Franklin
