Broadway World: Musical Therapy Announces NYC Reading With Lauren Molina

“New York City couples, singles, and every fling in between are getting some much needed Musical Therapy on Friday, November 30 as the original comedy musical stages its highly-anticipated NYC reading featuring Broadway's Lauren Molina.

The reading will be directed by Ilana Ransom Toeplitz (The Prom, Violet, Reefer Madness), produced by Don Michael Mendoza and Izzy Bartolotta (La Ti Do Productions) and Stephen Soucy (Romy and Michele The Musical), with Armelle Kay Harper (The Prom, Mean Girls, On Your Feet!) as production stage manager and music direction by James Woods. In addition to Lauren Molina (Rock of Ages, Sweeney Todd, The Skivvies), Musical Therapy features a cast with Rob Morrison (Avenue Q, NERDS, Nevermore), Lora Nicolas (StinkyKids, James & The Giant Peach), Joseph DePietro (Ragtime, Woof in Hair), Kayley Anne Collins (54 Below, Broadway Under the Stars), Zachary Harris Martin (Molasses in January, Speakeasy), and Bebe Tabickman (Click Clack Moo, Bagels From Benny).”

Read the full article at BroadwayWorld!

Broadway World: A Delightful Offering With A Strong Score

"If you're in the mood for a musical that delivers in all departments check out Musical Therapy for sure. Strong cast, good score and book, fine direction, and again, there are sock puppets."

"One of the big highlights of Musical Therapy is the score written by Chicago-based composer/lyricist Joey Katsiroubas. A few examples include Theresa's 'I Want' song 'Someone Who's There for Me' and the killer finale 'It Takes a Little Crazy.'"

"Dubish and her very talented band of performers and musicians... give us a delightful offering which features a strong score and 101 names for the male sex organ."

Read the full review here!

 

Sex and Sock Puppets - "Highly Recommended"

Excerpts:

"This offbeat, adult musical comedy is the product of two extremely talented area artists."

"Always striving to improve the piece, Katsiroubas, Hass and Director Madison Smith, with smart, bouncy choreography by Katelyn Stoss, entered their production in this year’s Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. It remains to be seen how this musical will be judged by the end of the three week run; but the night this reviewer attended this show, it was completely sold out. That, and the thundering ovation, speaks volumes."

"With its catchy score, diverse characters, adult language and sexually explicit interludes, this comically entertaining, two-act musical is a playful pageant of sex, sock puppets and show-stopping musical performances that should have a long, popular future."

Read the full review here!

Chris’s Picks: Top 5 Shows of 2017

Excerpts:

"There is something special about a musical that leaves songs running through your head the next day. And there is something great about a show that is put up by a small, low-budget operation that manages to outshine the boys with the big bucks."

"This was a tightly crafted piece that was more than laugh-out-loud funny. There were times when my sides hurt from laughing. I imagine this show will be remounted at some point. I know that the playwright and composer are interested in continuing to improve the script and music. But, when it comes down to it, the show is already finishing just behind a Sondheim piece on my list this year. I’m not sure it needs any improvements."

Read the original article here!

"Musical Therapy" Is A 20/20, One Of The Best

Excerpts:

"The perfect storefront musical experience"

"Hass’s script is funny, and intelligent. Katsiroubas’s songs are memorable to the point that I’ve currently got one of them stuck in my head as I write this. The show’s structure is familiar, but quirky in a way that both reinforces what we want in a musical, but also pokes fun at what can be a a too tired trope at times.  It is refreshingly tongue-in-cheek while simultaneously honest and true to itself."

"The show’s laughs come from physical sources as well as script-based chuckles."

"Sock puppets and sex and singing and dancing and wow."

RATING: 20/20 – “One Of The Best”

Read the full review here!

Dark, Raunchy, Funny "Musical Therapy" Puts Death & Pretzels’ World Premiere On The Map

Excerpts from the Chicagoland Musical Theatre Review:

"Musical Therapy is a dark, raunchy comedy that plays on desperation to create an evening of theatre that is charming and inventive"

"That the show is funny is unquestionable, as is the talent of the creative team."

"Joey Katsiroubas’s score bounces with an Avenue Q-esque irreverent fun, with at least a few earworms in the bunch. His lyrics, though, are the real standout, as creating humor in song form is one of the most difficult tricks in musical theatre writing. The many instances of laughter elicited in the song sequences, combined with the masterful use of rhyme, make for an impressive comedic voice."

Read the full review here!

Colt Sebastian Taylor: "Musical Therapy 5/5"

Excerpts:

"This show was fantastic. The musical numbers were catchy, the dialogue was funny, and the little side comments the characters slipped in were very well delivered. It isn’t easy to slip a solid one-liner into a conversation, but they did it seamlessly."

"The pairing of couples in the show were fun to watch. It’s hard to say which couple was my favorite because each pair did a stellar job with their performance and their singing."

Read the full review here!