Once, Twice … Five Times a Musical

Attend the tale of Sweeney Seurat, the demon neo-impressionist painter of Paris.

We know that in the real world of musical make-believe, that should be separated into Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, and Georges Seurat, the artist-protagonist of "Sunday in the Park with George."

Here, however, creations of critically lauded composers, including Stephen Sondheim of "Sweeney"/"Sunday" fame, are fodder for a farcical musical with a cracked sense of Broadway humor. Referencing one of Sondheim's early works:

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Decorum.

That's from "The Musical of Musicals -- The Musical!"

Which is a musical.

"It's really a valentine to musicals," says Josh Penzell, the ebullient director of this ex-off-Broadway oddity, opening at the Black Box Theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "Our unofficial tag line is, 'A very smart show, just not especially deep.' "

A five-in-one free-for-all, "Musical of Musicals" repeats the same plot -- ingenue can't pay her rent, villain demands his rent or else, hero arrives to pay the rent and win the gal -- through satirical 15-minute minimusicals. Original parody tunes are stylized to the feel of Rodgers and Hammerstein ("Oklahoma," "Carousel"), Jerry Herman ("La Cage aux Folles," "Hello Dolly!"), Andrew Lloyd Webber ("Phantom of the Opera," "Evita"), John Kander and Fred Ebb ("Chicago," "Cabaret") and Sondheim.

"Most of the songs are a minute, minute and a half, some are 45 seconds, so it really snaps along," says Penzell, insisting the concept does not swipe its inspiration from the "Forbidden Broadway" series that whimsically elbows Broadway musicals in the ribs.

" 'Forbidden Broadway' requires a little more knowledge of specific musicals that came out in that season, it requires you to know the cast recordings," Penzell says. "With this, we look at the musicals' creators and although there are a lot of specific references, it also stands alone as a musical outside of that."

With a shaggy-dog, hey-kids-let's-put-on-a-really-strange-show vibe at the cozy Black Box -- itself reminiscent of an off-Broadway venue -- "Musical" kicks off with "Corn," good-naturedly tweaking the big sound of Rodgers and Hammerstein and its golden-age sentimentality, turning a playful eye toward "Oklahoma!," "The King and I," "The Sound of Music," "Carousel" and "Flower Drum Song," among the duo's hierarchy of hits.

The Sondheimian "A Little Complex" -- impishly announcing the "ambiguity and dissonance" of his nontraditional compositions -- spotlights the vengeful, Sweeney-ish mad artist plotting to murder his tenants, with sung observations such as "I'll kill them and coat them in papier-mache," "Would it be too grim to tear her limb from limb" and "Que Sera Seurat."

Portraying the "male ingenue" in each piece, Aaron Marcotte notes that "it plays off the stereotypes of musical theater in a very smart way. Vocally and mechanically, it's all completely different. This will be a real treat for people, to understand the differences in musical theater."

Brassy and grand, Herman's musical motif gets a good-humored basting in "Dear Abby," from the "Mame"/"Hello Dolly"-ish exclamations with their grande-dame flair ("Life would be sensational if we'd all just put on a little more mascara!") to the proud drag queen of "La Cage" ("I took your advice, Abby, and put more mascara on!").

Faux-operatic and melodramatic, the Lloyd Webber-ish "Aspects of Juanita" -- featuring a "Phantom"-like landlord, with mask and cape -- sends up "Evita," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Cats" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," even winking at "Starlight Express" by putting actors on wheels.

Wrapping up the kooky quintet is "Speakeasy," having fun with the Kander and Ebb repertoire, including a comically creepy, "Cabaret"-esque host. Feather boa-draped, "Chicago"-style dancers and singing female inmates grind on and slink around chairs in angular, sexually charged moves recalling choreographer Bob Fosse.

"Done" -- in the top-hatted, kick-step style of "One" from "A Chorus Line" -- brings "The Musical of Musicals -- The Musical!" to its musical climax.

"We all have a very strong love of musicals," says Sarah Jo Lorraine, who portrays the "diva" in every wink-wink homage. "Being able to do five, it's like when I was 7 years old, singing along to everything. I think the only thing missing is a little Judy Garland in there."

She'd likely be Dorothy Todd, the Demon Farm Girl of Munchkinland.

Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256.