BIGFOOT

Review by Celia Ipiotis

No doubt, these days everyone needs a good laugh and that’s exactly what you get at Bigfoot now at City Center Stage 1. The utterly loveable Bigfoot (Grey Henson), a hairy mix between Chewbacca, and the lion from the Wizard of Oz (costume by Ricky Reynoso) figures large in Bigfoot the musical. 

Cleverly and hilariously conceived by Amber Ruffin, David A. Schmoll and Kevin Sciretta, the new production skips blithely around Danny Mefford’s appealingly directed and choreographed production.  

A fond mash-up of former satirical musicals targeting distressed communities, or neighbors combating toxic elements, and miscasts, Bigfoot flies through its 90 minutes leaving behind a trail of belly laughs.

Set in the aptly named Muddirt, the skeezy mayor (a wildly gymnastic Mike Millan in place of Alex Moffat) makes side- deals to tank the town that’s also home to an epic disrupter, Bigfoot.  Only problem. the boogeyman is really a kind-hearted, generous — albeit ill designed –giant human creature who sneaks into town at night (so as not to be shot) and mends broken items.

His mother Francine, the fabulous Crystal Lucas-Perry who suffers from a kaleidoscope of illnesses, distrusts the mayor’s aims and rallies the untrusting townsfolk. Adding to the chaos is bounty hunter Joanne (Katerina McCrimmon)—a “feral” truth-seeker who struts and postures with the pure insouciance of a critter locator.

The goofy details are hardly worth recounting except to say that all ends well. But inbetween, there is plenty of schtick that collides into cliches and unabashed clowning. A talented cast, they all excel in their comic timing, bumbling antics, wild dancing, slap-dash physical smacks and the non-stop hurling of snappy asides. 

All in all, it’s an energy bomb of metaphors and Buster Keaton style antics.

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis

**ALL PHOTOS BY Marc Franklin