Drew Zwetchkenbaum ’16 and Daniel Shanker ’16 reprised their musical “Legally Drew: The Drewsical,” written as freshman, in three performances this past weekend in Silsby 028.
Now, as seniors, in dire need of social validation and ego stroking before the adult world soon consumes us all, this dynamic duo decided to bring “Legally Drew” back to life.
While part of me wanted to eat my good friends Drew and Daniel alive like the zwetschgenkuchen from Lou’s, their play is genuinely too good to pan, and tickled my callous, critical insides. Now I must find some other overwrought piece of popular garbage to tarnish and sate my critic’s bloodlust. Is “Zoolander 2” (2016) still playing somewhere?
Anyway, the play centers on Drew (Doug Phipps ’17), a deadbeat looking for a change in his life, waiting in line at city hall to change his legal name to Andrew, an objectively superior name. Perhaps the only flaw in the play is that Drew ultimately doesn’t change his name. But that’s just me.
Out of the emptiness of a city hall bureaucracy comes a lean and uproarious musical that makes the most out of its minimalist set and setting. Indeed, many have compared the play to “Waiting for Godot.”
John Lahr of The New Yorker commented three years ago, “How I found myself at this student production in the middle of New Hampshire is beyond me. Nonetheless, Beckett would have been proud of Zewkenbarm and Shunker. While the ‘sperm donor’ number and fellatio-seeking Tooth Fairy may diverge from Beckett’s minimalism, the play breathes a deliciously absurdist life into a desolate space and finds humor where there never could be.” Couldn’t have said it better, Lahr.
Drew is akin to Alvy Singer from “Annie Hall” (1977) a nebbish, hopeless romantic who turns whatever he touches into garbage. In line, Drew meets a lonely lawyer, Jan (Virginia Cook ’18), the most lovable of psychopaths, Tim (Jake Gaba ’16), a conservative with a romantic (and bleeding) heart, Sid (Speight Carr ’16), as well as the crude, horny janitor (Goutham Kandru ’16), all while waiting to reach the cantankerous city hall employee at the end of the line (Gigi Anderson ’16). If only all city halls were this exciting. “Legally Drew” excels at fleshing out each of these peripheral characters and transforms them from mere bit parts or one-off gags into vital pillars of the play’s punch.
Even the chorus (Carolina Alvarez-Correa ’16, Brad Garczynski ’16, Connor Lehan ’18, Sutton Lowry ’16 and Aileen Zhu ’16) added flare with its dance numbers and kazoos. The humor feels like what the film “Deadpool” (2016) was going for but couldn’t achieve: a blend of sexual gaucheness and subversive self-awareness to render a fairly trite romance palatable. Fortunately, the play never succumbs to any sappy temptations — the play is, despite the penis jokes, too smart for that — and whatever moralism there is the actors soon beat to death in the name of absurdity.
Beyond the comedy, I must commend the music. After watching the play my freshman year, I remember thinking with a blend of awe and bitter jealousy, “Damn, the songs were really good.” Three years later, the songs maintain their wow-factor, notably Drew’s pessimistic mom’s (Haley Reicher ’17) stinging solo, “Effing Change Yourself.”
Other highlights include the allergy number, “May Contain Peanuts,” the Tooth Fairy’s (played by Zwetchkenbaum himself) nightmarish cameo and Tim’s closing tune, “Krishka.” Many audience members commented on how catchy the songs were — perhaps the greatest testament to their distinction.
Ultimately, what has impressed me most about “Legally Drew” is its humility and intimacy. It feels like living room theater in Silsby (where it was originally performed), and there’s such an unassuming nature about its production. There are few props, few bells and whistles. It lives and dies by its (song)writing alone, which despite its self-deprecating cracks is quite remarkable. Now I’m getting sappy. Oh, would you look at that? 650 words. They only paid me to that marker. I can finally stop reviewing this piece of crap.
Rating: “10”/10
“Legally Drew” will inevitably be playing in Silsby in another three years.
