As Shlomo Zildenberg, the token Hasidic Jew in Williamsburg! The Musical, proudly states: "What other people think is exactly what Williamsburg is built on." But although they apparently recognize the superficiality of their subject, the show's creators — it has a book by Will Brumley, music by Kurt Gellersted and Brooke Fox, lyrics by Fox, and additional material by Nicola Barber — try and fail to eke out a meaning from their paean to hipster culture.
Everything in director-choreographer Deborah Wolfson's production is overblown, from the voices on unnecessary amplification to the characteristic choreographed flailing. The musical numbers satirize all aspects of the 'Burg scene, from Craigslist hookups to the unofficial but omnipresent subway fashion shows. These affectionate lampoons capture what we love and love to hate about the sub-borough.
Unfortunately, these moments are dragged down by a ridiculous plot and an extraordinarily confused finale, a feeble attempt to impose a message upon a show that thrives on the shallow nature of the culture it depicts.
Presented by TheaterLoop as part of the New York International Fringe Festival
at the Village Theatre, 158 Bleecker St., NYC.
Aug. 11-24. Remaining performances: Sun., Aug. 19, 4:45 p.m.; Tue., Aug. 21, 7 p.m.; Fri., Aug. 24, 9:45 p.m.
(212) 279-4488 or (888) 374-6436 or www.fringenyc.org.
