4-11-JR-Re-Animtr

Based on the 1985 cult movie hit and earlier H.P. Lovecraft story, this show is a lot like Frankenstein meets the Three Stooges. Not that they ever did, but if they had it would have been the modern stooges Jesse Merlin, Chris L. McKenna and Graham Skipper. These three create a chaotic and frantic tale where absurdity reigns supreme fueled by envy, ambition and downright kitsch. Music and song accompany almost every scene, and while the words often are force-fed into the rhythmic tempo, they do their job in advancing the story (“She’s dead, Dan, SHE’S DEAD!”) Irving Berlin it’s NOT!	Chris L. McKenna - Rachel Avery -Jesse Merlin
Set in a small college town teaching hospital, Herbert West shows up one day to work on some experimental projects. (Graham Skipper). The Dean (Harry S. Murphy) is somewhat skeptical and the head Doctor Hill (Jesse Merlin) definitely does not want him around, especially since West is accusing Hill of stealing the work of other doctors in the field or re-animation. Merlin is excellent as the ambitious doctor who openly steals the work of others to advance his own fame. Here he is pure slapstick, a diametric detour from his elegant and witty Oscar Wilde in the sophisticated comedy *Carved in Stone*, a couple of years back. He also has a great singing voice.
Skipper plays West as a driven, high strung nerd who himself is doing some pilfering of formulas from Dr. Gruber to achieve fame and fortune. He rents a basement apartment from Dr. Dan Cain, (Chris L. McKenna) where he plans to live and further his experiments. Dan is engaged to Megan Halsey, the Dean’s daughter, (Rachel Avery) providing the requisite love interest, and of course she will become the damsel in distress who will be saved by the hero later in the play. McKenna’s Dan is the sympathetic hero who gets sucked into the nefarious plan hatched by West, which later backfires and he almost loses his girlfriend Megan.	Graham Skipper - Jesse Merlin
West’s experiments succeed in bringing the dead back to life, although not exactly as expected. Violence and irrationality prevail and soon the plot become becomes awash in bloody experiments, and the first and second rows of the theatre also get flushed with the squirts of blood and body parts that flail from the corpses. The patrons are handed a plastic bag to wear during the show so the bloody mess won’t ruin their clothes. Forget it! The actors make sure the squishy stuff reaches as far back as possible and as many people as possible, as they attempt to either kill their victim or restrain them from going into the audience. And all the while they are singing!
Marlon Grace is very funny as the security guard who tries to control some of the chaos, as long as things don’t interfere with his personal agenda (“I’ll take care of it – right after my break”) Other actors in this madhouse are Brian Gillespie, Mark Beltzman as Doctor Gruber, Cynthia Carle as Doctor Harrod and Liesel Hanson as the Nurse. The theme music by Richard Band is excellent and Peter Adams plays synthesizer as the patrons enter, exit and during the show.	Harry S. Murphy (rear) Rachel Avery - Jesse Merlin
All the rave reviews are totally justified as this is the kind of show that keeps you giggling all the way through - especially in the goriest scenes. Even in a tiny stage, Stuart Gordon manages to direct the cast with a singleness of purpose. The purpose? Make them laugh. He succeeds big time. "Re-Animator, the Musical," Steve Allen Theater, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. 8 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. (800) 595-4849. http://www.reanimatorthemusical.com/news.html Extended through May 29, 2011. Comments? Write to us at: Letters@ReviewPlays.Com