Disaster! St. Luke’s Theatre (see Off Broadway). By Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick. Directed by Plotnick. With ensemble cast. Running time: 2hrs 5mins. One intermission.
Disaster!: in brief
Mary Testa, John Treacy Egan, Jennifer Simard and Michele Ragusa are in the talent-heavy cast of this 1970s-disaster-flick send-up by musical-theater savants Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick, directed by Plotnick and choreographed by Broadway vet Denis Jones.
Disaster!: theater review by Adam Feldman
I know what you’re thinking: Five stars seems grand for a campy, low-budget spoof of 1970s crisis flicks like The Poseidon Adventure and Airport. But I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud at the theater as often as I did at Disaster!, a blissfully silly jukebox musical by Jack Plotnick (who also directs) and Seth Rudetsky (who stars as a scientist whose dire warnings of a boogie-triggered earthquake go unheeded). Built with meticulous ingenuity, the show repurposes three dozen classic tunes from the Me Decade to often hilarious effect. And the cast brims with top-of-the-line musical-comedy talents: Matt Farcher and Haven Burton as the blond romantic leads, Mary Testa as a good-hearted broad, John Treacy Egan as a sleazy villain, Michele Ragusa as a dim chanteuse, Jonah Verdon as her two kids (one of them a girl) and the miraculously funny Jennifer Simard as a glum, guitar-playing nun. It’s knockout fun, and it leaves you seeing stars.—Theater review by Adam Feldman
[Note: The cast of Disaster! has changed since this review was written. the current company of actors includes Judy Gold, Stacey Oristano and David Hibbard.]
THE BOTTOM LINE A bang-up cast burns bright in this disco inferno.
Follow Adam Feldman on Twitter: @FeldmanAdam
Ticket Offers from Time Out New York
Looking for tickets to a Broadway or Off Broadway show? Time Out Offers brings you terrific discounts on tickets to the latest New York theater. Want even more ideas? Check out Time Out New York's complete listings of Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway shows, and browse all available tickets.