THE PLAY: This is the stage adaptation of the movie musical about a family of brothers in 1850 Oregon who capture women for their brides.

 

THE PRODUCTION: This started as a TheatreVCU project featuring 20 students in this raucous musical. This production (which is staged on the American Idiot set draped with a few pieces of burlap) has a youthful “let’s put on a show” feeling with free-for-all performances and mostly decent voices. As Adam, Mat Ehrlich is commanding, but why must he spend most of Act 2 flaunting his buff body in boxers covered in stage blood? Jenna Kraynak (as his bride) does a lovely job finding moments of comic fun. This reinterpretation directed by Connor Scully features a few absurd or inventive touches and takes advantage of the stage combat training they get at school. There is some spunky, scrappy fun in their energy, but it’s overall a sloppy, loose collection of chaos. (Running time: 2:00)

 

THE POINT: The student-based exuberance of this production makes it fun, but the cast overacts and the staging is sometimes silly, always broad and often sloppy.

 

(2 / 5)

 

A Nu Puppis production at Firehouse thru 7/19