Most-Honoured Girlfriend helped me celebrate the passing of years with a trip to Broadway Baby, a dinner theatre North of Milwaukee. My lack of interest in birthday-related celebrations notwithstanding, my belly had its fair share of laughs, after more than its fair share of prime rib.

Dinner was tasty enough and the service was excellent. So, despite my trepidation at the somewhat cramped theatre, the 5 to 1 ratio of elderly to young person, and the attached bar, I was welcoming a little bit of musical madcap. And I received it.

The show regaled us with relationship humour common to most stand-up routines, with a few clever lines thrown in and some over-the-top characters to help with the hyperbole. Overall, the writing and music are about what one expects from an off-broadway show. And, although I was not “enchanted” or some similarly unctuous term over-used by critics, I was pleasantly entertained.

The live theatre atmosphere communicated the joy that the actors shared in playing their roles. Enthusiasm of that degree rarely gets expressed through the multiple-take medium of film. I was also impressed with the use of space; the stage was somewhat small, but the actors seemed completely comfortable, belying the close proximity of the audience. And we were able to take away a phrase that we will use to symbolize when we’re being assholes and we know it : “So chooo-ooose ME, Mr. Video Man.” Yeah, you hadda be there.

Music: 6/10 (referring to composition, not performance)
Direction: 8/10
Acting & Musical Performance: 8/10
Writing: 7/10

Overall: 8/10