I enjoyed this, and lord knows I didn't expect to. It's exactly what it says it is, a musical about being gay, stereotypes and all.
The premise is a show within a movie. The off-b'way musical in the movie maintains that god created adam and steve because he found adam and eve boring. Adam and steve are transported to modern times and have to deal with Christian guilt and self-hate. There's a lot of that. Maybe a tad too much.
The characters who play the leads in the musical have problems of their own, mirroring, to a degree, those of the characters they play. Well, one of them does, anyway. And, yes, the leads are gay stereotypes, as are most of the other characters in the movie.
But you know what? Stereotypes are based on truth. What that means is that the actors playing the stereotypical roles have to work a little harder to make the sell. I think they accomplish that in this movie.
The singing and dancing is all perfectly competent. The choreography blends a lot of trademark routines from hit shows of the last 40 years. It's kind of funny, actually. You just wish they had a slightly larger stage to work on.
Unlike the other reviewer here who hated the music and lyrics, I thought they were just fine. I found the songs pleasant, if not particularly memorable. So if you approach this not expecting Sondheim, you might find that aspect tolerable and maybe even entertaining. I did.
Plus the boys are all adorable.
The premise is a show within a movie. The off-b'way musical in the movie maintains that god created adam and steve because he found adam and eve boring. Adam and steve are transported to modern times and have to deal with Christian guilt and self-hate. There's a lot of that. Maybe a tad too much.
The characters who play the leads in the musical have problems of their own, mirroring, to a degree, those of the characters they play. Well, one of them does, anyway. And, yes, the leads are gay stereotypes, as are most of the other characters in the movie.
But you know what? Stereotypes are based on truth. What that means is that the actors playing the stereotypical roles have to work a little harder to make the sell. I think they accomplish that in this movie.
The singing and dancing is all perfectly competent. The choreography blends a lot of trademark routines from hit shows of the last 40 years. It's kind of funny, actually. You just wish they had a slightly larger stage to work on.
Unlike the other reviewer here who hated the music and lyrics, I thought they were just fine. I found the songs pleasant, if not particularly memorable. So if you approach this not expecting Sondheim, you might find that aspect tolerable and maybe even entertaining. I did.
Plus the boys are all adorable.