Pip Furlong (Chase Jeffels) and Everett L. North (Aiden Burke) are aspiring Broadway tunesmiths working in a rundown Manhattan loft, fretting at their inability to string a verse together, much less a song.
Frustration at their lack of inspiration is abated by the appearance of a Canadian “adventuress” Venice Drake (Jasmine Zyp) and her “companion” Allure Potemkin (Zia Mizera), both dressed in their slips due to reasons too complicated to get into here.
Since this is a Stewart Lemoine musical (first staged in 1986), you can be sure of a few things: the dialogue will be fast and witty, the musical numbers (written by Gary Lloyd and R.J. Smart) catchy and upbeat, and in the tradition of every ’30s musical ever written, there will be romance. Aside from some cheesy synths subbing in for strings in the pre-recorded music, there really isn’t anything to knock in this remount. It’s light, breezy and amusing, all four of the leads acquit themselves very well as actors and singers, and it all clocks in at a snappy 45 minutes.
Pip Furlong and Everett L. North, Broadway tunesmiths attempting to knock out their next big hit in a barren Manhattan loft, have their work interrupted in a manner both alarming and inspiring. Songs! Food! Lingerie! Stewart Lemoine’s hit musical What Gives? returns to the Fringe with a fresh new cast!