Featured Actor Joined: 11/1/23
Saw this earlier this week. There are funny moments and talented actors, but overall it's a bit forced. Worth a rush ticket, but don't break the bank.
Some of these comments are…odd. Like you were expecting something highbrow instead of the silly stupid 90s parody it’s clearly advertised as.
The main aspect of their marketing campaign is two actors goofing around in sh*tty red bob wigs. Why are we surprised that this isn’t a traditional kind of play is beyond me.
GiantsInTheSky2 said: "Some of these commentsare…odd. Like you were expecting something highbrow instead of the silly stupid 90sparody it’s clearly advertised as.
The main aspectof their marketing campaign is two actors goofing around in sh*tty red bob wigs. Why are we surprised that this isn’t a traditional kind of play is beyond me."
I don't think that's what everyone here was expecting, it’s just not that great of a parody, especially when compared to other shows that have tried to do the same thing, like Titanique.
I know David Finkle is basically an irrelevant, D-tier critic, but that review is painfully poorly written and he seems to totally unfamiliar with The Parent Trap (he seems to think this is also a parody of Freaky Friday?)
Understudy Joined: 7/5/25
‘Ginger Twinsies’ Review: Loud, Crude, and Exhaustingly Unfunny
Off-Broadway’s Ginger Twinsies wants to be a clever parody of The Parent Trap—but instead, it’s a chaotic, painfully self-aware mess that mistakes volume for comedy and nostalgia for substance.
Writer-director Kevin Zak’s one-act spoof, now playing at the Orpheum Theatre, leans so heavily on millennial sentimentality and 1990s pop culture references that anyone outside the 29-to-44 demo will likely feel locked out—and those within it may just feel embarrassed. The premise is simple: grown adults Aneesa Folds and Russell Daniels, who look absolutely nothing alike, play the iconic redheaded twins once portrayed by Lindsay Lohan. The gag wears thin within minutes.
The show barrels forward with manic energy and a screeching cast that leaves no room for nuance. Every joke is bellowed with the subtlety of a jackhammer. What’s meant to be irreverent farce quickly devolves into a 90-minute shouting match where actors seem more like caffeinated camp counselors than skilled comedians.
There’s some skill here, buried under all the noise. Phillip Taratula does manage to wring some laughs as a cartoonish version of the villainous Meredith, and Jimmy Ray Bennett’s deadpan shifts between characters offer brief relief. But these moments are fleeting and drowned out by the overall chaos.
The staging is cheap and cluttered, with Beowulf Boritt’s juvenile set design looking like it was crafted for a third-grade history fair. Crayola Big Ben and all.
By the time the cast hits its stride—somewhere around the halfway mark—you’ll be too exhausted to care. Jokes about Whitney Houston, Village People, and a string of increasingly desperate sexual innuendos try to liven things up, but mostly just feel forced and oddly mean-spirited.
In the end, Ginger Twinsies isn’t so much a parody as it is a sugar-high meltdown. It plays like a college sketch comedy show that never grew up. For a production that prides itself on energy, the result is surprisingly lifeless. Even nostalgia has its limits.
Save your money—and your eardrums.
Okay, but where is that review even from? Who wrote it? You seem to genuinely be totally unfamiliar with how a discussion board like this works.
Featured Actor Joined: 12/28/21
I saw this tonight. It was dumb and fun, and I laughed a lot. That was all I was looking for, and that was all I got. Most of the jokes were cheap and expected, and I didn't care a whip.
Saw this tonight also. I appreciated it, but didn’t find many laughs. For me, it seemed like 90 minutes of mayhem, references and screaming. Seemed I was in the minority.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/23/17
KrupYou said: "‘Ginger Twinsies’ Review: Loud, Crude, and Exhaustingly Unfunny
Off-Broadway’s Ginger Twinsies wants to be a clever parody of The Parent Trap—but instead, it’s a chaotic, painfully self-aware mess that mistakes volume for comedy and nostalgia for substance.
Writer-director Kevin Zak’s one-act spoof, now playing at the Orpheum Theatre, leans so heavily on millennial sentimentality and 1990s pop culture references that anyone outside the 29-to-44 demo will likely feel locked out—and those within it may just feel embarrassed. The premise is simple: grown adults Aneesa Folds and Russell Daniels, who look absolutely nothing alike, play the iconic redheaded twins once portrayed by Lindsay Lohan. The gag wears thin within minutes.
The show barrels forward with manic energy and a screeching cast that leaves no room for nuance. Every joke is bellowed with the subtlety of a jackhammer. What’s meant to be irreverent farce quickly devolves into a 90-minute shouting match where actors seem more like caffeinated camp counselors than skilled comedians.
There’s some skill here, buried under all the noise. Phillip Taratula does manage to wring some laughs as a cartoonish version of the villainous Meredith, and Jimmy Ray Bennett’s deadpan shifts between characters offer brief relief. But these moments are fleeting and drowned out by the overall chaos.
The staging is cheap and cluttered, with Beowulf Boritt’s juvenile set design looking like it was crafted for a third-grade history fair. Crayola Big Ben and all.
By the time the cast hits its stride—somewhere around the halfway mark—you’ll be too exhausted to care. Jokes about Whitney Houston, Village People, and a string of increasingly desperate sexual innuendos try to liven things up, but mostly just feel forced and oddly mean-spirited.
In the end, Ginger Twinsies isn’t so much a parody as it is a sugar-high meltdown. It plays like a college sketch comedy show that never grew up. For a production that prides itself on energy, the result is surprisingly lifeless. Even nostalgia has its limits.
Save your money—and your eardrums."
Your “review” reads like it was written by the “mean girl” at a middle school newspaper.
Chorus Member Joined: 2/24/25
1 Minute Critic Review
To be inside the warped mind of Ginger Twinsies writer-director Kevin Zak is like slipping into a pair of high-waisted, light-wash denim shorts: so wrong, but oh so right. Unless you’ve been glued to the internet since the AOL days and deep in pop culture, some of Zak’s references may whizz by. But rather than alienating the audience, you’ll likely find yourself leaning in, catching what you can, and enjoying the surrounding laughter when someone else gets the joke.
Full review <60 seconds here. ⏰
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/27/19
I don't know why I expected there to be more reviews for this. Possibly being a gay who's online too much made it seem like a bigger deal than it really is, just another off-Broadway show.
A few more reviews:
DC Theater Arts:
Over-the-top uproarious parody ‘Ginger Twinsies’ at Off-Broadway’s Orpheum Theatre
Exeunt NYC
Review: Ginger Twinsies at the Orpheum Theatre
A new parody of The Parent Trap delivers mile-a-minute laughs. Lane Williamson reviews.
Broadway Star Joined: 3/29/23
Why ‘Parent Trap’ actress Elaine Hendrix was worried over her parody play ‘Ginger Twinsies’
https://nypost.com/2025/08/01/entertainment/elaine-hendrix-talks-parent-trap-parody-play-ginger-twinsies?
If you want a joke every 10 seconds, this one’s for you. My face hurt from smiling so much.
Diana The Musical joke and the Devil Wears Prada monologue. Also, were they making fun of Stomp during the handshake??
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/16
DiscoCrows said: "
"
Referring to the Lohan version?
Videos