Disaster is so audaciously and outrageously awful that it has instantly become the camp event of the season, if not the past few seasons. I'm flabbergasted by what I saw on stage at the Nederlander tonight and truly have no clue who would dare invest in a Broadway transfer of this material. The construction of the book (devoid of any wit, parody or satire of the disaster films they were trying to skewer) is so terribly inept and inert that I couldn't help but crack up at every misstep.
And make no mistake, I laughed harder tonight than I have in a long while, but always at and never with the show. Faith Prince has managed to find herself in a production number more embarrassing than getting kicked down the stage in Busy Night at Lorraine's. It took her 25 years, but by god, she found it. Seth Rudetsky, always so full of vim and vigor during his Chatterbox interviews, was stiff and wooden; maybe he got some acting tips from Bruce Willis over at Misery.
There are no original songs, and worse than that barely any of them are sung in their entirety. We get snippets or maybe a verse and a chorus before an abrupt ending, leaving the audience wondering if it's time to applaud. Rachel York sings I Will Survive for all of 45 seconds. The book isn't good, so why not let these talented performers at least sing the damn numbers for us?
The production is cheap as hell, and in fairness they attempt to revel in the cheapness. That tactic might work well at New World Stages (or lower still, The Acorn where this truly belongs), but not on Broadway at Broadway prices.
I wish the actors all godspeed finding new jobs (and firing their agents).
It's fitting that Disaster is playing at the Nederlander, where it can join company of Raggedy Ann, Wind in the Willows, One Night Stand and Heathen!
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
Updated On: 2/9/16 at 10:12 PM