![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/01_S032.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Craig Schwartz.<\/p><\/div>\n
In case you haven\u2019t figured it out,\u00a0Spamilton<\/em>\u00a0is a parody of the Broadway mega-hit musical\u00a0Hamilton<\/em>. And it\u2019s super-clever. I was worried that since I had built it up in my mind so much over the past year, I might not love it as much once it got to LA. But I was impressed all over again.<\/p>\n For my fellow bi-coastal peeps, I\u2019m comparing the LA version of\u00a0Spamilton<\/em>\u00a0to the New York production a bit, but this one really stands on its own merits. The actual show is just about the same as before; it\u2019s just the atmosphere<\/em> that\u2019s different. I believe it\u2019s moved venues in the Big Apple since I saw it, but back then, it was done in a very interesting off-Broadway theatre, located above a Turkish restaurant! Here, it\u2019s in the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, which, as\u00a0also-interesting as that venue is, does not emulate the \u201cJoe sent me\u201d vibe, so it\u2019s a whole other experience. But the Douglas adds its own flavor because their lobby is so conducive to mingling.<\/p>\n Photo by Craig Schwartz.<\/p><\/div>\n But, forgetting all that, the only-eighty-minutes-long musical is still a hoot and a half. And there\u2019s some new material to reflect newer Broadway offerings that have opened since the inception of\u00a0Spamilton<\/em>.<\/p>\n The show must be exhausting to perform because it\u2019s full of\u00a0non-stop energy and entertainment, with tons of surprises all the way through.\u00a0 Each actor gives it his or her all. I have a feeling they each must lose ten pounds per performance! And wouldn\u2019t it be funny if anyone from the cast goes on to appear in actual\u00a0Hamilton<\/em> out here?! We know they all have the chops, and can certainly rap!<\/p>\n I hadn\u2019t seen\u00a0Hamilton<\/em>\u00a0itself at the time that I saw the New York production, and guess what? I\u00a0still<\/em>\u00a0haven\u2019t! And it still doesn\u2019t matter, even though the timing of this opening couldn\u2019t be more perfect since Angelenos have had the opportunity to see that hit\u00a0out here for a few months now. But even though this take-off is predominantly of\u00a0Hamilton<\/em>, it\u2019s not the\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0Broadway show that\u2019s parodied in this one.<\/p>\n William Cooper Howell. Photo by Craig Schwartz.<\/p><\/div>\n The cast gives many others at least a hilarious little mention in this jam-packed outing. Occasionally even only a tiny reference (such as the line \u201c525,600 minutes\u201d from\u00a0Rent<\/em>) drew huge guffaws from the opening night audience.<\/p>\n One of the best things about this mainly five person staging (with two extra performers here and there) is that you don\u2019t need to be very familiar with Broadway musicals. But I have to admit that it does help a bit. If you miss one or two references, though, I promise that it\u2019s no biggie. I<\/em> totally understood what was going on, just by seeing the\u00a0Hamilton<\/em>\u00a0numbers on the Tony Awards, and by knowing a little bit here and there about other musicals. (And don\u2019t forget\u2014we in LA are lucky enough to have opportunities to see many Broadway hits right in our own backyards because of kind theatres like the Ahmanson!)<\/p>\n Adorable William Cooper Howell, who is a zillion times better looking than this picture portrays! (Been there, done that.) Photo by Ryan Miller.<\/p><\/div>\n From what I understand, Hamilton<\/em> is mainly all rap music. I\u2019m a big fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda, (the guy who wrote that whole show and was the original star–duh.) But sometimes, I cannot understand his words.\u00a0Spamilton<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0also<\/em>\u00a0rap after rap, but they are all very\u00a0funny<\/em>\u00a0raps, and ones we can<\/em> make-out, to boot!<\/p>\n This entire cast is new, and uber-talented; they\u2019re all wonderful singers, are able to rap, (which is not easy,) be funny, move, and, in some cases, be impersonators. When I saw it in New York, I didn\u2019t think that anyone outside of the guy who starred as Lin-Manuel there could ever do the role justice. But I was wrong (I guess there\u2019s a first time for everything,) because I\u2019m absolutely in love with William Cooper Howell, the guy who stars in Spamilton<\/em> here. Not only is he perfect and can really rap, (while being one hundred percent understood,) but his singing<\/em>\u00a0is stunning! If the whole evening had been just him singing, I would have still been thrilled! And when he took off his Lin-Manuel wig for the curtain call, we could see that he\u2019s adorable. I talked to him for a bit at the after-party, so I\u2019m happy to report that he\u2019s also darling. And appreciative! I love that guy!<\/p>\n Zakiya Young and Dedrick A. Bonner. Photo by Craig Schwartz.<\/p><\/div>\n Also outstanding is Zakiya Young, the lone female in the troupe. Her singing voice is beautiful! And it seems like she has to play every single female part ever written on Broadway! Not an easy task, but she performs it all with aplomb. I do have to admit that I had a tad of trouble making-out her words in one of the early songs where she spoofs all the women in Hamilton<\/em>, but I\u2019d kill to have her perfect arms, so I may have been distracted by them during that number.<\/p>\n The only one slight weakness in this whole presentation is the piano player. I can see that this is a super hard production to be the only musical accompaniment for, and the work is non-stop for the entire duration, but, on opening night, this guy was often too loud, and was missing the beat for some of it. I was happy to see that those little snafus didn\u2019t throw the singers in the slightest.<\/p>\n The main cast’s opening night curtain call. (L-R) Dedrick A. Bonner, Wilkie Ferguson III, William Cooper Howell, Zakiya Young, and John Devereaux. Photo by Ryan Miller.<\/p><\/div>\n On a side note, I have to laud lovely Lin-Manuel for giving his blessing to Spamilton<\/em>. I hate to admit it, but many moons ago, when\u00a0SCTV<\/em>\u00a0called\u00a0my<\/em>\u00a0former TV series to get permission to parody\u00a0moi<\/em>, I was not as gracious. (Perhaps that was because I knew I was a small fry, so no one would know just whom they were spoofing, which means I wouldn\u2019t even get the credit for just being me to begin with, but still\u2026) I\u2019m such a fan of his to begin with, (and his Hamilton<\/em> accomplishments are even way down the list of what I love about the guy, with his wedding video and his love for his wife being numbers one and two,) and his being great about this show makes me admire him even more.<\/p>\n Part of the opening night party crowd. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Okay, let\u2019s get to more fun stuff about the opening! When the presentation was over, the entire assemblage poured into the Douglas lobby for a celebratory fete. Actually, a super nice touch of the evening was that they served complimentary champagne even before the show began!!!\u00a0 What a kind touch. That\u2019s when I spied some fun peeps, like\u00a0Modern Family<\/em>\u2019s Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who seems to always be supporting Center Theatre Group\u2019s productions. I applaud him for that, and join him in those efforts.<\/p>\n The fun shots situation at the bar. Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the big one at the top of the page.<\/p><\/div>\n The party was super upbeat, which you know I love being a part of. So many LA theaters don\u2019t have opening night parties anymore, which is a shame. They always seemed to put the period on the sentence, and I love reporting on them, just as much as on the shows themselves. And I know you guys always love reading the scoops on them. So I really thank the Douglas for this shindig.<\/p>\n The bar had a variety of beverages, and they also served some special shots, (which I understand they will be doing for the entire run.) Being passed was the most different variety of snacks I\u2019ve ever seen. There were mini pork empanadas, crabs cakes, pulled pork sliders, hummus in cucumbers, and deviled e-words in cups! (You know I didn\u2019t go near that last one.) And for dessert, there were mini bread pudding squares, topped with caramel.<\/p>\n Standing–the entire cast of Spamilton. In front is Gerard Alessandrini, the creator, writer, director! Photo by Ryan Miller.<\/p><\/div>\n But this party was not about the\u00a0food<\/em>\u2014it was about this effervescent\u00a0production and the people involved\u2014no one even wanted to sit down! The whole place was buzzing with excitement for what we had just seen on stage.<\/p>\n And for that, I\u2019d have to say that most of the credit goes to Gerard Alessandrini, the man who not only conceived the show, but wrote it all and directed, as well! I can\u2019t even imagine one person doing all that, but I\u2019d love a tour through his mind some time.<\/p>\n To me, Spamilton<\/em> is the perfect musical entertainment. And the Douglas, one of the easiest theatres in town, with no bad seats, is the exact place to be showcasing it. So maybe, instead of spending your life\u2019s savings to see Hamilton<\/em> in Hollywood, head to Culver City instead, and have perhaps an even better time!<\/p>\n Spamilton<\/em>\u00a0running through January 7, 2018<\/strong> SPAMILTON I first saw Spamilton in New York just about a year ago, and could not wait for it to come to Los Angeles, so all my pals could finally see just what I\u2019ve been raving about for all this time!!! In case you haven\u2019t figured it out,\u00a0Spamilton\u00a0is a parody of the Broadway mega-hit musical\u00a0Hamilton.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
\n Kirk Douglas Theatre\u00a09820 Washington Blvd. Culver City www.centertheatregroup.org\/visit\/kirk-douglas-theatre<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"