Jersey Shoresical: A Frickin' Rock Opera

No one is a bigger reality TV junkie than I am, but even I draw the line at watching "Jersey Shore," the MTV phenomenon featuring a houseful of sex-obsessed party animals tanning all day and boozing all night. This show is several rungs below "guilty pleasure" and occupies the "train wreck" level. Luckily, you don't have to be a fan of the series to enjoy "Jersey Shoresical:" A passing knowledge of Snooki, Mike "The Situation," JWoww, and their less-than-intellectual roommates is all that is necessary to appreciate Daniel Franzese and Hanna LoPatin's "frickin' rock opera."

The authors, who wrote both the hilarious songs and the minimal book, also appear as Ronnie and Sammi, a pair of passionate lovers whose clinches always end up in screaming matches. Their violent duet "I Fuckin' Hate You" is a riotous parody of the kind of nasty bitchfests that have become de rigueur on reality shows. Max Crumm, another reality star from the "Grease" casting show, does a superb imitation of the self-absorbed Situation, crooning a love ballad to his own headshot. Cross-dressing Derrick Barry makes a convincingly slutty JWoww, and Karen Diconcetto gets Snooki's cluelessness and obsessions with muscles and shopping just right.

The blaring sound design makes it difficult to discern all the lyrics, but that's my only quarrel with this razor-edged cartoon.
 
Presented by Samantha Scharff as part of the New York International Fringe Festival at the Bleecker Theater, 45 Bleecker St., NYC. Aug. 23–28. Remaining performances: Thu., Aug. 25, 7 p.m.; Fri., Aug. 26, 5:45 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 28, 2 p.m. (866) 468-7619 or www.fringenyc.org.