Disaster! (musical)
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''Disaster!'' is a
jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that plays a user-selected song from a self-contained media library. Traditional jukeboxes contain records, compact discs, or digital files, and allow user ...
musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...
created by Seth Rudetsky and written by Rudetsky and
Jack Plotnick Jack Plotnick is an American film and television actor, writer, and producer. Career Plotnick is possibly best known for his role as Edmund Kay in the 1998 period drama '' Gods and Monsters'', which won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Scr ...
. Earthquakes, tidal waves, piranhas, infernos and the songs of the '70s take center stage in this comedic homage to 1970s disaster films. The show debuted at The Box on March 23, 2011. A second production at Triad Theatre, with choreography by Denis Jones and music supervision by Steve Marzullo, opened on January 22, 2012, and ran through March 25. A third production ran from November 2013 through April 2014 at New York's St. Luke's Theatre. The show opened on Broadway at the
Nederlander Theatre The Nederlander Theatre (formerly the National Theatre, the Billy Rose Theatre, and the Trafalgar Theatre) is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 208 West 41st Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhatt ...
on March 8, 2016, with previews beginning on February 9, 2016. The show starred Rudetsky, along with Roger Bart, Kerry Butler,
Kevin Chamberlin Seth Kevin Chamberlin (born November 25, 1963) is an American actor and singer who performs under his middle name. He is known for his theatre roles such as Horton in '' Seussical'' and Uncle Fester in ''The Addams Family''. For his theatre work ...
, Adam Pascal,
Faith Prince Faith Prince is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in ''Guys and Dolls'' in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations. Life and career Prince wa ...
,
Rachel York Rachel York (born August 7, 1971) is an American actress and singer. She is known for stage roles, including award winning performances in ''Camelot'', '' Hello, Dolly!'', ''Into the Woods'', and ''Anything Goes''. She also has performed in film ...
, Max Crumm and Jennifer Simard. Baylee Littrell (son of
Brian Littrell Brian Thomas Littrell (; born February 20, 1975) is an American singer and a member of the Backstreet Boys. He is also a contemporary Christian music artist and released the solo album '' Welcome Home'' in 2006. He is the father of country singe ...
) and Lacretta Nicole made their Broadway debuts. The show closed on May 8, 2016, after playing 32 previews and 72 regular performances. The plot follows a group of New Yorkers that attend the opening of a floating casino and
discothèque A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and a ...
that quickly succumbs to multiple disasters. These calamities correlate with plots of various disaster films of the 1970s, such as
earthquakes An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they c ...
or killer bee incidents. Additionally, this play keeps with a 1970s theme by using popular songs of the decade as musical numbers.


Development and productions

Origins go back to the early 1990s. While working together in 1992, Seth Rudetsky and Drew Geraci developed the concept of creating a musical reminiscent of the 70s disaster films they both appreciated. The original storyline involved the
New York City blackout of 1977 The New York City blackout of 1977 was an electricity blackout that affected most of New York City on July 13–14, 1977. The only unaffected neighborhoods in the city were in southern Queens (including neighborhoods of the Rockaways), which ...
and incorporated the decade's top songs as both musical numbers and vehicles for comedy. When Rudetsky was asked in 2011 to put on a show benefiting the nonprofit organization Only Make Believe, he decided to return to his disaster musical idea, and in the span of three months, he and
Jack Plotnick Jack Plotnick is an American film and television actor, writer, and producer. Career Plotnick is possibly best known for his role as Edmund Kay in the 1998 period drama '' Gods and Monsters'', which won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Scr ...
revised the concept and wrote the first script of ''Disaster!''. Major changes included widening the plot's range: instead of focusing on one disaster, the NYC blackout, they decided to introduce a variety of catastrophes common to the popular films of the 1970s that they had grown up watching. The benefit show successfully impressed critics, and from its success, the musical later had a nine show
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
run at the Triad Theatre, followed by another Off-Broadway production that ran for eleven previews and eighty-six performances. A Broadway production directed by Plotnick opened in March 2016 at the
Nederlander Theatre The Nederlander Theatre (formerly the National Theatre, the Billy Rose Theatre, and the Trafalgar Theatre) is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 208 West 41st Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhatt ...
, with an all-star cast and choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter. The show was produced by
Robert Ahrens Robert Ahrens (born 1970) is a film and theatrical producer based in New York City. Early life and education Ahrens grew up in Long Island, New York. He graduated from Cornell University, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternit ...
, Mickey Liddell/
LD Entertainment LD Entertainment, LLC (formerly known as Liddell Entertainment) is an independent American film studio and sales company, founded in 2007 by Mickey Liddell. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and run by Liddell, who formerly ...
, Hunter Arnold, James Wesley, Jim Burba and Bob Hayes. While Jennifer Simard received a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Sister Mary Downey, ticket sales weren't strong enough to make the production financially viable, with the show often playing only to half-capacity audiences. The Broadway production closed on May 8, 2016, having run for 32 previews and 72 regular performances. A cast album was released on September 9, 2016.


Plot

''Disaster!'' takes place in 1979 Manhattan during opening night of the Barracuda, the first floating casino and discothèque in New York. The characters gather to gamble and dance, unaware of impending natural disasters, and the building's lack of safety measures compounds these catastrophes. Notably, the casino's structure was built on a fault line, which causes earthquakes throughout the show. The plot follows several characters' dynamics and interactions throughout the opening night as they deal with various plot elements reminiscent of 1970s disaster
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
s such as '' The Poseidon Adventure'' and ''
Airport 1975 ''Airport 1975'' (also known as ''Airport '75'') is a 1974 American air disaster film and the first sequel to the successful 1970 film ''Airport''. It was directed by Jack Smight, produced by William Frye, executive produced by Jennings Lang, a ...
''.


Act One

It's 1979 and the opening night for "The Barracuda", New York City's first floating casino. Chad Rubik is looking for female company ("Hot Stuff") and decides to join his best friend, Scott, as a waiter aboard the casino boat. Meanwhile, on the pier, Professor Ted Scheider is collecting water samples to determine whether the new pier has been drilled directly into a dangerous fault line. Marianne, a freelance reporter, has heard that Tony Delvecchio, the owner of the Barracuda, ran out of money and had to cut corners. He asks her to join him on board for some drinks and she agrees, hoping to get a scoop. While the guests wait in line, a dour Sister Mary Downey appears, collecting money for the orphans fund and warning people that gambling is a sin ("The Lord's Prayer"). She meets Shirley and Maury Summers, who are celebrating Maury's retirement. Despite the Sister's protestations, Shirley buys her a ticket and she enters the casino. Faded disco star Levora Verona runs onto the pier with her precious dog, Baby. She successfully avoids a cab driver she can't afford to pay and gets on board, hoping she'll win back her fortune ("Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)"). Inside her casino dressing room, sexy lounge singer Jackie excitedly tells her children, 11-year-old twins Ben and Lisa, that Tony told her, "If tonight goes perfectly, he will ask me to marry him... possibly!" Tony enters just as a tremor shakes the room, causing Ben's Lite-Brite toy to fall to the ground. Ben cries as he notices that "The Lite-Brite pieces are lost in the shag carpeting!" Tony explains that the tremor was probably caused by nearby construction and tells Ben that he should never, ever cry. Jackie then goes onstage to wow the opening night crowd ("Saturday Night"). During her number, Scheider warns Tony that the vibrations from everyone dancing is going to trigger an earthquake and Tony angrily throws him off the ship. Meanwhile, Sister Mary is practically salivating over a '' Hawaii Five-O''-themed slot machine but when noticed by Shirley, adamantly denies having a gambling addiction. Marianne tries to interview Tony but he's only interested in one thing, ("Do You Wanna Make Love"). She accuses him of having a trap door installed at the bottom of the ship to dump illegal contraband and produces proof that he skipped safety precautions. Tony panics but is able to sneak away when Marianne freezes at the sight of Chad who has offered them drinks. Shaken, she apologizes to Chad for leaving him at the altar years ago. He tells her it's "fine", and then retreats to the bathroom to express his true feelings ("Without You"). Hurt by Chad's indifference, Marianne drinks an entire bottle of wine, then runs into Lisa and tries to convince her (and herself) that being an independent woman is the most important thing in the world ("I Am Woman/That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"). Jackie is in her dressing room when Scheider runs in to hide. He explains that an earthquake is coming and enlists Ben and Lisa to run and tell the captain to ready the lifeboats. Tony suddenly enters and Scheider quickly throws on a bird mask. Jackie covers by telling Tony that Scheider is a performer she hired and drags him onstage ("Mockingbird"). Shirley and Maury run into a depressed Marianne, who is surprised to find out they're married because they "seem so happy". They admit that marriage is hard but tell her that they still love each other dearly ("Still the One"). While Scheider hides out with Jackie, he reveals that his first wife, Dr. Wo-Ching Lee, died in a volcanic explosion and he feels responsible. Since then, he's become a disaster expert and tells Jackie one of the main rules is not to try to save individual lives. When Jackie leaves to perform, we see three private moments: Chad sings about Marianne, Marianne sings about Chad, and Scheider sings about Wo ("Feelings"). In the casino, Sister Mary's out-of-tune guitar upsets Baby. Levora is extremely insulted because Sister doesn't know any of her hit songs (including "Makin' Sweet Sweet Love" and "Put It Where I Want It"). Levora leaves in a huff, unknowingly dropping a quarter. Sister Mary knows she should give it to the orphans but imagines gambling it and winning them more. Nonetheless, she tries to walk away from the slot machine but is unable to ("Never Can Say Goodbye"). Sister ultimately gambles away all the fund money. She bumps into Shirley on the elevator and they ride in uncomfortable silence, interrupted only by elevator music ("Feels So Good"). Suddenly, Shirley reveals that she has a fatal disease, and explains that she'll soon show the final warning signs, like uncontrollable winking and inappropriate verbal outbursts. She hasn't told Maury because she wants whatever time they have left to "only be happy". Shirley shyly suggests she might soon end it all because she doesn't want Maury to have to watch her suffer. The Sister tells her unequivocally that taking one's life is a sin and an eternity in Hell will await her if she does it. Ben and Lisa run into Chad and tell him that an earthquake is coming and he immediately runs off to warn Marianne. In the casino, a wealthy woman approaches Levora and offers to buy Baby for an extraordinary sum. Levora can't bear to part with the only thing she's ever loved, yet she has only one quarter left to gamble and gain back her fortune. She knocks on the wood-paneled slot machine for luck and talks to Baby ("Knock on Wood"). Soon, various patrons are knocking along with her, on the machines, the floor... everything. While this is happening, Marianne confronts Tony about the safety precautions and runs away as he tries to throw her off the boat. Chad sees Marianne hiding and tells her to get off the boat, but she misunderstands, thinking Tony has sent him. Scheider has heard the knocking and runs to the casino to warn everyone they're going to trigger an earthquake. They stop and start to tiptoe off the boat, but Levora has put in her quarter and wins ("Hawaii 5-0"). All the coins pouring out of the machine hit the floor and trigger an enormous earthquake.


Act Two

Act Two opens ("All Right Now") to reveal massive destruction in the casino as well as the ''Hawaii Five-O'' slot machine lever impaled in Scott's stomach. Chad arrives and tries to get Scott to safety ("You're My Best Friend")†, but Scott dies. Shirley, Maury, Jackie and Lisa are all in Jackie's dressing room but Jackie soon leaves to find Ben, who's missing. In a deserted hallway, Tony explains to his right-hand man that the earthquake actually solved his problems. It will be considered a force majeure and all of his debt will be paid. And he's positive he'll end the night being seen as a hero. Chad is on the deck to give Scott a burial at sea and runs into the wealthy man, whose wife was killed by a falling ice sculpture ("Three Times a Lady"). While waiting in Jackie's dressing room, Shirley starts showing signs of her impending death (inappropriate verbal outbursts) and Lisa discovers Ben, who is passed out because of his diabetes. Lisa volunteers to carry Ben to the infirmary to get insulin and Maury and Shirley follow. On the way they meet the sister, who is praying for death because she thinks that the earthquake was her punishment. She's certain that God wants her in hell but Shirley convinces her that God actually wants her to help other people and they all set off for the insulin. Lisa spies the infirmary and they run to it ("Ben"). Ben is revived in the nick of time. Everyone in the casino is panicking because the earthquake has caused the boat to detach from the pier, but Tony is calm and directs people to the lifeboats. However, Scheider warns that a tidal wave is coming and quickly ushers them into a hallway. Upon learning this, Marianne runs out onto the deck and gets Chad off his lifeboat ("Baby Hold On to Me") and back onto the ship. The tidal wave hits and the ship turns upside down. Scheider assures everyone that the safest thing to do is stay put, but Tony boasts that he'll save everyone through an exit ladder in the kitchen. Scheider objects, but Tony assures them the kitchen has fire doors and is therefore safe, so half the survivors, including Jackie, Ben and Lisa leave with him. The others choose to wait it out with Scheider ("25 or 6 to 4"). There is an explosion from the kitchen and only Tony reappears. Scheider realizes Tony lied about the fire doors, and they all express their anger at him, as Chad also shares his anger with Marianne for not showing up to their wedding ("Sky High"). Jackie and her children survived the blast but are hanging from a wall. She hopes Tony will come and rescue them, but the kids know better ("When Will I Be Loved"). Scheider decides to buck his own rules, braves the fire, and arrives to rescue them with a daring routine on a high beam ("Nadia's Theme"). On their way back to the casino, they hear Tony, who's trapped in a flooded room with sharks ("Don't Cry Out Loud"). The explosion has separated Levora from her dog, Baby. The sister appears and helps Levora find him by strumming her guitar until he barks ("Come to Me"). Marianne admits to Chad she did love him but was scared their marriage would make them as miserable as her parents. They find themselves in a room that's flooding and filled with man-eating piranhas. The only way to escape is through a water-tight door, but it's locked. Perched together atop a pile of chairs, Chad admits he regrets not calling her for years. ("I Really Want to See You Tonight"). Suddenly, they hear sounds above them and start banging Morse code on the ceiling, screaming for help ("Knock Three Times"). In the casino, Jackie and her kids reappear and Tony thanks Scheider for rescuing him. He tells little Ben that it's good to cry every day, to which Ben responds, "I already do." Tony tries to reconnect with Jackie but she decides to end their relationship ("I Will Survive"). Shirley hears Chad and Marianne's Morse code and Scheider informs her that he has instructions on how to unlock the door in his Disaster Handbook. Shirley tells him she was a tap dance champion and will tap out the instructions. The Sister quietly asks Shirley if it's wise to exert herself because it might lead to death but Shirley tells her she might as well "go out helping people", and the Sister blesses her decision. Shirley taps out the instructions ("A Fifth of Beethoven"), Chad and Marianne are saved and pledge their love for each other ("Reunited") and Shirley dies in Maury's arms. A swarm of rats attack so everyone rushes to safety in Tony's private office where Tony apologizes for everything and finally admits there is a trapdoor on the bottom of the ship. Ben points out that the ship is upside down and, therefore, the trap door is on the ceiling. They all escape onto the top of the ship as the sun rises ("Daybreak"). A helicopter appears and drops harnesses. As survivors buckle themselves in, Scheider reveals his feelings for Jackie ("Hooked On a Feeling") and they all begin flying off to safety. Because the pier was destroyed, the helicopter is taking them to New Jersey. When Levora hears where they're heading, she exclaims, "New Jersey? This is the worst disaster yet!" † "You're My Best Friend" does not appear in the internationally licensed version of the production.


Characters

Main named characters. *Ted Scheider: A professor and "disaster expert" who tries to warn the others of the impending doom. *Tony Delvecchio: The deceitful owner of the casino. *Chad Rubik: A flirtatious caterer at the casino who was previously engaged to Marianne. *Scott: Friend of Chad's and also a caterer at the casino. *Marianne Wilson: Reporter and ex-fiancée of Chad. She left him to pursue her career. *Jackie Noelle: Lounge singer and mother. She is hoping that Tony will propose. *Ben and Lisa Noelle: Jackie's twins. Played by one male actor. *Levora Verona: A washed up singer hoping to hit it big in the casino. *Sister Mary Downey: A nun with a gambling addiction. *Maury Winters: The devoted husband of Shirley. *Shirley Winters: The wife of Maury. *Jake: The personal bodyguard of Tony.


Cast

†Tony Delvecchio was played by Will Swenson for one week while Bart was on leave—May 1–7, 2016.


Musical numbers

Sources: ;Act I ;Act II ;Cut songs


Critical reception

The musical has received positive reviews from various respected news outlets. The ''
New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'' named ''Disaster!'' one of its top ten must-see musicals for 2013, claiming that "This spoof of catastrophe-themed movies mixed with '70s pop hits gushes with Velveeta as well as laughs, great new talents and savvy jukebox craftsmanship." ''
Time Out New York ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 333 cities in 59 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition became ...
'' critic and president of
New York Drama Critics' Circle The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 23 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization is best known for its annual awards for excellence in theater.Jon ...
Adam Feldman rated the show five stars, stating, "I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud at the theater as often as I did at ''Disaster!''...with meticulous ingenuity, the show repurposes three dozen classic tunes from the Me Decade to often hilarious effect." ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''
Charles Isherwood Charles Splaine Isherwood Jr. (born October 1964) is an American theater critic. Career A graduate of Stanford University, Isherwood wrote for '' Backstage West'' in Los Angeles. In 1993, he joined the staff of '' Variety'', where he was promote ...
called the show "self-consciously ditzy," saying that it really "earns that exclamation point."


Awards and nominations


2013 Off-Broadway Production


2016 Broadway Production


References


External links

*{{Official website, http://www.disastermusical.com
Internet Broadway Database
2012 musicals Broadway musicals Fiction set in 1979 Jukebox musicals Off-Broadway musicals Musicals set in the 1970s Musicals set in casinos Musicals set in New York City Musicals set on ships Musicals about gambling