Is life getting you down? Does keeping up with the news make you want to tear your hair out? Are you feeling lost in day-to-day grunge work that doesn’t seem to go anywhere?
If you can relate to any of these questions, here’s one more: What will make you feel better?
The answer is simple: something to make you less miserable! And the doctors at The Great American Melodrama (okay, they aren’t real doctors, but we’re sure at least one of their actors has played one on TV) have the perfect prescription: Less Miserable, a 180-degree twist on the Tony-winning musical that everyone calls Les Miz (or for the literary set, Les Misérables, the French historical novel by Victor Hugo).
It is guaranteed that playwright Jordan Richardson’s sassy, shameless rip-off of Hugo’s nineteenth century epic downer will cheer you up—and then some. You will smile, giggle, chortle, and even “laugh from ze belly” (said with a French accent, of course) at the antics and perfect timing of this cast of eight comic actors.
Although Jean Valjean (played with precision by the lively Tony Costa) is the protagonist of all versions of this story, it’s safe to say that the die-hard police inspector Javert (a très amusant Noah Esquivel) steals most of the scenes in this version—if only because the audience, in true Melodrama fashion, loves to boo and hiss his every move (although he’s a much better singer than Russell Crowe in the movie version).
The rest of the cast takes on double (and even triple) duty voicing the supporting roles, with everyone getting their chance in the spotlight. One of the highlights: a duet between Marius (Nolan LeMay) and Eponine (Beth Siegling), although her name gets some serious mangling in the course of their love story (Epiglottis being among the funniest).
Director John Keating, who along with Sydni Ramirez is credited with the show’s choreography, and music director Andy Hudson give the other cast members (Rachel Tietz, Madeline Gambon, Joshua Kenebrew, and Annaliese Chambers) their well-deserved moments, too. All are aided by appropriate French Revolution-style costumes and wigs by Beth Uber and props by Nathan Miklas.
And it’s a delight to see Richardson back at the Melodrama piano.
The take-offs on popular songs are clever and often hilarious—among them Inspector Javert singing “I’ll be hunting you” to the tune of the Police megahit “Every Breath You Take,” and the entire cast (flying the French flag, no less) belting out the opening number “Comedy Tomorrow, Misery Tonight.”
What follows is entirely the opposite, however, with merriment triumphing over misery in every minute of this very funny show. It’s playing on the Melodrama’s stage in Oceano through June 14.