Ever wonder what it must have been like to sit in a theatre for the first performance of A Chorus Line, Rent, or any other unlikely phenomenon in the making? Stop wondering. See Smoking Bloomberg.
No, it isn't as innovative as the aforementioned Pulitzer Prize winners. With a plot launched by the oppressive denial of a (somewhat) fundamental right, and a score that at times feels like Weill lite, Smoking Bloomberg owes much to Urinetown. Avenue Q also figures in the mix, as "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" prefigures one of this show's funniest songs, "Culture Is Just a Bunch of Retarded Shit." But, the thing is, Smoking Bloomberg is better than either of those musicals — bolder, more topical, and more exhilarating. It climaxes without letting cynicism compromise pure theatrical adrenaline.
This uncommonly strong show is the result of an uncommon arrangement: Four writers share equal credit for book, music, and lyrics. Co-authors David Cornue, Sam Holtzapple, Warren Loy, and Chris Todd have set their show in 2003, amidst a devastated New York — where Sept. 11, Iraq, and Mayor Bloomberg's smoking ban all blur together as Americans trade liberty for safety at an exchange rate that would have vexed Benjamin Franklin. A few numbers, including "Riding on the Backs of Giant Turtles" and "Pimps and Ho's," need a bit more work, but the only critical problem is the comparative poverty of the material given to the chorus of smoking dilettantes. Still, if Smoking Bloomberg isn't all the way there yet, it's receiving a stunning first staging under spot-on director John Ruocco. Judging by the changes made from the rehearsal script in the past week alone, Ruocco and his creative team will make it the rest of the way.
The action centers on Kim Park (the sensational Jihyen Park), a Korean dry cleaner who launches a crusade after her business is ruined by government-mandated clean air. As she attempts to stamp out the "little North Korea in the USA," Kim meets a Guantanamo refugee, a relaunched Buddha (version 2.0), and her potential soul mate, also a Korean dry cleaner (and also named Kim Park). Male Kim (the hilariously deadpan Doan Mackenzie) is less bent on revenge and more focused on survival; working as a male hustler, he explains to female Kim that he'll get by even "if that means snorting coke off Ed Koch's taint while picturing your dreamy eyes."
Oh, did I mention the material is a bit vulgar? Actually, to borrow Mel Brooks' famous description of the original film version of The Producers, it rises below vulgarity. But all the fisting gestures, queefing hearts, and Nick Nolte appearances are summoned in service of a comprehensive, piercing look at American values that wonders — wittily and wonderfully — when we might finally become "the post-post-9/11 we."
Presented by AnyMinuteNow Productions as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival at the Theatre at St. Clement's, 423 W. 46th St., NYC. Sept. 16-24. Remaining performances: Sat., Sept. 23, 1 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 24, 8 p.m. (212) 352-3101 or www.theatermania.com.