Clever referential jokes and satirical numbers abound in Sam Pitt-Stoller’s musical imagining of Super Mario & Co.’s lives after Bowser’s (seemingly) final defeat. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad and others are living normal lives in Brooklyn; all except Mario are content remembering the Goomba-stomping, fireball-wielding “good ol' days.” But when a mysterious new threat emerges, Mario is forced to spring back into action. In the solid cast, Benny Oyama and Erik DeCicco stand out as (respectively) ukulele-playing sidekick Luigi and boisterous reformed villain Bowser. The script could be trimmed (and some of the entrances and exits could be better coordinated), but Jump Man never takes itself too seriously, and beyond the comedy, it has a surprisingly strong emotional core and wide range of musical styles that leave you smiling and singing afterward. The show is an enjoyable adventure for gamers and noobs alike.—Michael Gabriel Torres
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