SCALPEL
nytheatre.com review by Jeffrey Cassaro
August 15, 2003
As I approached the Wings Theatre early Sunday morning, I saw a small
crowd forming outside, as the positive buzz about Scalpel was
clearly of interest to many. D’arcy Drollinger’s rock musical, with John
Ficarra’s direction and this cast of players is nothing short of a sure
fire hit!In this show we watch as the evil doctor, played sinisterly brilliant by Michael Francis Stromar, inserts computer chips to use the minds (and sculpted bodies) of his beautiful but deadly fembots. The subject matter and the jokes are very up-to-date as we watch socialites turn into hit-women! Like an episode of a great Saturday morning cartoon, the songs, drama and incredibly well-directed and executed fight scenes will keep you amused and in awe of the ideas and vision of the production. The casting of the three enhanced vixens, Anne Gaynor, Candis Cayne and Laura Le Bleu is no accident as these women look, act and sing beautifully, capturing the very essence of camp humor, which is often overplayed. This company seems very well aware of that fact. The constructive use of hand mikes and clever direction of the supporting cast kept the comedy non-stop. I also liked Ficarra’s use of the theatre’s space, with characters running about the audience, and the use of the side stages, all of which adds to the animation. It all seemed to appeal to the sellout crowd this afternoon.
If buzz is truly what these shows are all working for, I would say that Scalpel is working hard and deserving of all it garners.
