Anyone remember Lucky Guy? 2008

[emilyfaye48]

Posted: 8/10/25 at 8:19pm

I loved this musical so much! I think I even saw it twice in the short run. I'm still so sad they didn't make a recording. Every once in a while I think about the show and feel sad it was such a quick blip and hasn't had any enduring cult fanbase. I feel like it could be revived now and maybe a current audience might appreciate it more. Does anyone know if it is licensed or if any theatres have staged productions? 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/10/25 at 8:25pm

Lucky Guy was a play with Tom Hanks, but if you’re thinking of a show from 2008 and no recording was made, do you mean Cry-Baby…?

[emilyfaye48]

Posted: 8/10/25 at 8:36pm

I'm talking about the off-broadway musical that played at the Little Shubert. It starred Varla Jean Merman, Leslie Jordan, and Kyle Dean Massey. https://playbill.com/article/lucky-guy-starring-kyle-dean-massey-leslie-jordan-and-varla-jean-merman-begins-crooning-in-nyc-com-178650

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 8/10/25 at 8:36pm

Nope this was an actual musical starring the late Leslie Jordan, Varla Jean Merman, Kyle Dean Massey and Jenn Colella. It opened and closed very quickly.

[emilyfaye48]

Posted: 8/10/25 at 8:41pm

I totally forgot Jenn Colella was in it! I think somewhere on an old harddrive I miiiiiiiiiight have a bootleg recording of it but I haven't sorted through my old bootleg files in many years and I'm not sure I even have any of them anymore. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 8/10/25 at 8:46pm

Ah thank you both for that clarification. It sounds like a bit of a Ring of Fire/Million Dollar Quartet vibe. I wish I’d seen it. 

It’s certainly licensed but doesn’t have any upcoming productions listed, although those aren’t always accurate. 
https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/65857/lucky-guy

[kdogg36]

Posted: 8/10/25 at 9:06pm

I absolutely remember it and I thought it was hilarious from start to finish - definitely the most enjoyable show called Lucky Guy I've seen this century. It was pure silliness, much more in spirit like Xanadu than the shows Boris cited, despite the setting. I still have the magnet on my refrigerator. (Yes, I have the other Lucky Guy magnet as well.)

[EntrActe]

Posted: 8/10/25 at 9:17pm

I remember having an absolute blast at this.

Kyle Dean Massey and Savannah Wise were the perfect matches for their material. Varla Jean and Leslie Jordan were as much fun together as Mary Testa and Jackie Hoffman in Xanadu. Looking back at the cast list, the ensemble was absolutely first-rate with  people who were doing amazing work in those days. 

The cast and the design showed where the show's true Broadway ambitions were. It didn't look like any expense was spared. Rob Bissinger's set captured the tone perfectly without resorting to feeling like a Rockwell knock off. I remember being impressed by Paul Miller's lighting for an off-Broadway show. And, of course, it was the kind of show that William Ivy Long was made for. (I wish I remembered the choreography better, but I don't think it's because I found it deficient in anyway.)

Count me in the small group of people who remember this show extremely favorably!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/10/25 at 9:37pm

Who could forget this commercial?

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/11/25 at 12:26am

An unforgettable thrill ride. 😆 so ridiculous and so fun.

[FolliesCabaret]

Posted: 8/11/25 at 1:57am

I miss Savannah Wise so much!!!