Balagan Theatre’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog is cute as pie…AND, SOLD OUT!

Review: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Book, Music and Lyrics by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Zack Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen. Produced by The Balagan Theatre. Directed by Eric Ankrim and M. Elizabeth Eller. With Eric Ankrim, Jake Groshong and Annie Jantzer. Now through Sept 25 but all shows are sold-out!

Joss Whedon fans went nuts a couple years ago when the beloved “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly” creator co-wrote and directed a short musical film during the 2008 Writer’s strike starring Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion. The 45 minute film became an Internet sensation, won awards and there is talk of a feature film sequel. The film, and Joss Whedon, are so beloved that live stage productions have been authorized and the Balagan wisely decided to jump on the bandwagon with their own production. It was a smart decision; the show’s original run was August 20 thru Sept 4. They’ve sold out every performance and the show has been extended, late nights for September 11, 17, 24 and 25 and those seem to have sold out as well! The Balagan has a huge hit on their hands!

But, is it warranted or is it just frenzied Whedon fans selling out those seats? The answer is yes…and no; “Dr Horrible” truly is a funny, witty, whimsical show with clever, well-written pop songs and some very charming performances from the actors. It’s a small piece and perfectly sized for the tiny dimensions of the Balagan’s basement theatre, (which they are soon to vacate). I can recommend the show as light, fun, FAMILY entertainment. It’s not very deep or very meaningful and it’s not going to change your life in any way, but it’s a fun hour and an half of live entertainment. It helps if you’re a Whedon fan, but even if you’re not, it’s a pleasantly entertaining night of theater if you’re forced to go by your rabidly, devout, Whedonesque-loving significant other.

Now for the negative, and it’s a small negative. The original film was about 45 minutes long, (in three acts) which is NOT long enough for a full night of theater so the original script has been padded with additional material from the DVD version of the film that included some rather meta commentary with MORE original music from the creators. The extra songs are cute and they give the rest of the ensemble moments to shine onstage for a bit, but it does feel a bit padded. I wasn’t even aware that those bits were originally written by the creators; I was under the impression that the Balaganites had added the material themselves to pad out the running time of the show! The extra material isn’t bad; it just feels “extra” and unnecessary to the main plot of the show which wasn’t written to be a stage production. It’s not a deal breaker, but hardcore musical theater fans need to be aware, this isn’t a precisely constructed Sondheim musical…it’s a cute 45 minute short film stretched out with half an hour of additional material. Nuff said.

The cast was great and very comfortable with the light material. Co-director Eric Ankrim stars as the not really that horrible, Dr Horrible and he was wise to cast himself. Mr Ankrim is not only a fine actor, singer and musical comedian, he also bares more than a small resemblance to the original Dr Horrible, Neil Patrick Harris, and he very successfully channels the sly wit and tender pathos of that actor and the original character. Hunky Jake Groshong is also fine as Horrible’s nemesis, the vain glorious “hero” Captain Hammer, nicely playing the boorish oafishness of a callow leading man. (He also looks good in leather…) Annie Jantzer has the dullest lead role, that of our heroine Penny and she is a good musical actress wasted in a role without a lot of range. Dr Horrible is the star of this show and every other character pales in comparison, but Ms Jantzer makes her character both believable and charming enough to warrant us to root for her.

The rest of the ensemble got to shine in the “extra” moments of the show and they gave spirited, warmly received performances. Mr Ankrim and his co-director M. Elizabeth Eller keep the pace moving along briskly but allow time for the more tender moments to play out. Techwise, the show was simply but cleverly designed with a nice use of rear projection effects for Dr Horrible’s video blog scenes and some very impressively designed props including a Freeze Ray that wouldn’t look out of place in a Hollywood film. All in all, a job well done by the Balagan.

Unless they add more performances, “Dr Horrible” is sold out but check their website to see if they add additional ones…but I have a sneaky feeling that the Balagan might be wise to hang on to that set and Freeze Ray for another outing for Dr Horrible down the road. It’s always wise for a small theater company to have a sure-fire hit they can pull out of the trunk if they need to raise a little money after a show that wasn’t as successful as planned. I doubt we’ve seen the last of “Dr Horrible”.

All photos by M. Elizabeth Eller/The Balagan.

-Michael Strangeways