LA Review: 'Nobody Loves You'

“Nobody Loves You,” a musical about reality TV, has a Muzak score and eye-rolling jokes, but there is also a smartness to its humor. In the hands of capable artists, the world-premiere musical by Gaby Alter (music and lyrics) and Itamar Moses (book and lyrics) is silly but fun.
 
Cynical grad student Jeff is trying to write a philosophy dissertation about the meaning of reality when his girlfriend breaks up with him. In an attempt to win her back he joins the cast of “Nobody Loves You,” a reality-TV show along the lines of “The Bachelor,” and soon realizes he has found the perfect topic for his research. When he meets Jenny, a crew member, he quickly forgets about his ex-girlfriend. Behind the scenes of this show designed to manufacture love, Jeff and Jenny fall for each other, bonding amusingly over things they mutually hate. Then, after an hour and a half of shenanigans and singing, everything resolves with a predictably happy ending.

“Nobody Loves You” packs in a lot of songs into 90 minutes (the actors are almost constantly singing), but the music isn't very memorable; it all has a generic pop sound. On the other hand, the lyrics are clever, giving the show a tongue-in-cheek humor that is one of its most entertaining aspects.

The characters here are one-dimensional, but the actors deserve credit for landing laughs without turning the characters into ridiculous caricatures. Adam Kantor is endearing as pretentious academic Jeff, revealing a fine singing voice that is applied to the less-than-interesting score. Jenni Barber as Jenny is also lovably nerdy, but because the script forces her to spend most of the show moping, she is a little dreary for a romantic lead. Alex Brightman plays three characters but gets the most laughs of anyone as the obsessed fan Evan, who watches the TV show in his pajamas and sings his Twitter updates—“#”s, “@”s, and all. As Nina and Byron, the ratings-conscious producer and host of the TV show, Nicole Lewis and Heath Calvert are appropriately shallow, their affected charm lending amusing sarcasm to their interactions. Kate Morgan Chadwick, Kelsey Kurz, and Lauren Molina, as the supporting reality-show characters, keep the energy high in places where it could easily fall flat.

Director Michelle Tattenbaum and choreographer Mandy Moore uses the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre’s theater-in-the-round effectively, aided immeasurably by Michael Schweikardt’s cool and simple set, which easily transitions from sleek studio to sexy hot tub and back with the help of Tyler Micoleau’s colorful lighting. The show’s stagehands, who bravely step into the spotlight in this production to give the impression of a busy TV crew, earn well-deserved laughs.

Like the programs that it mocks, “Nobody Loves You” doesn’t offer much intellectual stimulation but accomplishes its goal—it entertains.

Presented by and at the Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. May 9–June 17. Tue. and Wed., 7 p.m.; Thu. and Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat,. 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 and 7 p.m. (619) 234-5623 or www.theoldglobe.org/tickets. Casting by Stephanie Klapper.