It must be quite a show if the names Sondheim and Stupefyin’ Jones pass through my mind in the first thirty minutes or so. Dress the Part, from Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis is a take on The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Explaining it’s set in an American high school, Verona Prep, and done mainly as rap, may still cause some to look down their high-flown noses, but that would be a mistake.
DtP is, not to put too elegant a point on it, a laff riot, as Hollywood used to say. It’s eighty minutes, no intermission, of an incredible workout for Jordan Moore and Garrett Young, who play 13 characters, including a remarkable middle-of-the-song triple tradeoff. Proteus and Valentine are the mainstays of the public prep school’s high-performing football team. It’s a typical high school with students tracking themselves into social ruts, jocks, socies (there’s probably a more contemporary phrase for that, but…), artists, nerds, ad infinitum, but Proteus has discovered the wonderfulness of a fine young woman, Julia, who’s seriously into arts. He’s dropping the football team to pursue her and her interests. Valentine is shocked, but then a newcomer who’s been elected head cheerleader, Sylvia, appears. Her effect on him – and not just on him – is about like that of Stupefyin’ Jones, the lissome lady of Lil’ Abner, whose appearance causes men to be hit by the Whammy. (Or occasionally the Double Whammy, but that’s not necessary here: Coals to Newcastle with young men in the throes of adolescent hormones.) And there’s more, adults at the school and at home, Julia’s lockermate who has the hots for the band’s leading flute player, the Crabs’ (that’s the school mascot) waterboy – it’s a veritable symphony of characters. The only one playing it straight is Crim Dolla Cray, the DJ for this amiable madness.
Okay, so there’s the Stupefyin’ Jones reference. Wherefore the Sondheim? The music and lyrics are from the Q Brothers, whom, if you are fortunate, you remember from The Bomb-itty of Errors The music is fun and toe-tapping. The lyrics, however are at times as agile and witty as Sondheim or Porter, with amusing rhymes and fine jokes, a delectable show of abilities.
Peter and Margery Spack have turned The Ready Room’s stage into a charming, bright interpretation of the school, and Rusty Wandall keeps the sound flying with blessed control and clarity. Still, pride of place might well go to Christina Leinecke, whose costumes, so integral to the variety of characters, are carried off with immense humor.
In the Shakespearean tradition, there’s a green show 30 minutes before, so to speak, kickoff, and the schedule for that is on the website. We had a young juggler, Sean Petric, with a good sense of humor.
There’s a certain amount of bawdiness in the show, but aside from that, it’s a great introduction to theater for reluctant young ones above a certain age. Use familial judgement, but please don’t deprive yourself. This is another remarkable show from Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis.
Dress the Part
through February 15
The Ready Room
4195 Manchester Ave.