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Mayra Amit
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Mickey Jo
Huzzah. Huzzah. It's fun to say, isn't it? It's fun to say. Oh how I wish it had been as much fun to watch. Oh my God. Hey, welcome back to my theatre themed YouTube channel. Or hello to those of you listening to this review on podcast platforms. My name is Mickey Jo and I am Obsessed Theatre. I am a professional theatre critic and a content creator here on social media and I review shows that I have seen from around the world. Today is a great example of that because right back at the beginning of October I flew for the very first time to San Diego, California to see a handful of musicals including the world premiere production of this new musical, Huzzah at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. The show is written entirely book, music and lyrics by husband and wife writing team Nell Benjamin and Larry o', Keefe, whose work you will know together from of Legally Blonde and separately from shows like Heather's, which Larry was involved in, and Mean Girls, which Nell was involved in. So all in all a pretty great track record when it comes to fun, youthful, dynamic new musicals with scores full of absolute bangers. Which is what made me really excited about Huzzah. The only thing I knew about this show prior to going to see it was that it was set at a Renaissance fair, a concept which I am slightly familiar with, but which is not something that we experience really at all here in the UK, like historical reenactments and we have LARPing but we don't have Renaissance Fairs. The closest thing we probably have is like if you were to go to Warwick Castle, I guess, which is something I did do as a child. But the show describes itself as a musical comedy for when life is unfair. A nice little pun there, but it also speaks to the nature of the plot, which I'm going to tell you about today because it surprised me a little bit. We're also going to talk about the score, the production, all of the creative elements and the writing and what I had really hoped for this show that I don't think it's as yet delivering, but still possibly could in a reworked future version. As always, I'm just sharing my own subjective thoughts with you about this piece of theatre and if you had the chance to see it, I would love to hear yours. What did you think of Huzzah in San Diego? Do you see a future for this show and what direction would you like it to take? Also, for those of you who have been to Renaissance Fairs, please feel free to share that experience in the comments down below because I am now more than a little bit intrigued. Do they still happen frequently? Do I need to go to my first Renaissance Faire at some point? Where can I do this? When can I do this? Guide me to this future Tiny people in my camera as always, if you enjoy listening to my thoughts and this review, make sure to subscribe to my theatre themed YouTube channel. Turn on notifications so you don't miss any of my upcoming videos. Or if you prefer, go follow me on podcast platforms or other social media apps like Instagram and TikTok. I literally never stop talking about theatre. It is a blessing and a curse and the next half hour or so is going to be no exception. Let's talk all about Huzzah. So let's explain what this show is and for those of you not familiar what a Renaissance Fair is. And it's quite appropriate that this was having its world premiere in San Diego, because I am given to understand that some of the earliest Renaissance Fairs in the United States, where the concept really originated in the years following the Second World War, took place in Southern California, I believe. And it's essentially this theme park meets historical reenactment idea, with all of these different stalls and these different participants and employees creating together this medieval European Renaissance era atmosphere. The vibes in this musical are perhaps Elizabethan, which is again appropriate because so is the actual facade of the theater with knights and princesses and theatrical Shakespearean esque players and also pirates. An entire pirate establishment, and much said about what used to be an entire pirate quarter. The vibes of the thing, at least the way that it's portrayed in Huss, feels a little bit like Disneyland if everyone is having at least three more drinks. One of my favorite lyrics in an introductory number that tells us all about the world of the Renaissance Fair, is, if you can't get laid at the Renaissance Fair, you cannot get laid. Which for me really told me an awful lot about where we were and the story that was going to unfold, which is where it all gets a little bit interesting and if I'm honest, begins to go south a little bit. Because my general overview thoughts were the concept of a Renaissance Fair is unique enough for the theater and has not really been explored. It is vivid enough. It is full enough of characters and its own sources of tension and drama and narrative. Even at the beginning of the thing, there are, like, paths we can take here. There are rivalries and frustrations and sort of unrequited loves. It's all there at the very beginning. We don't need the inciting event that eventually comes along to stir things up. It could already be a musical. My thesis basically is that you could just take a normal day at the Renaissance Fair and create songs around that. And that is a good enough musical. That is a fun enough way to spend our time. I desperately wanted this to just be fun and silly with a score full of absolute bangers. And it wasn't as fun as I kept wishing for it to be. And I think you have to work really hard to take something like a Renaissance Faire and these characters who dedicate their lives to it and the comedy of this setting, while they all then go away and lead very normal lives in a modern time, you've got to work real hard to make that anything other than fun. But not unlike the Addams Family before It I feel as though we take what would be a really easy, fun musical comedy concept and we make it needlessly frustrating and needlessly convoluted. My issue with the Addams Family is that you can just take those characters and give them songs and just make an Addams Family musical that really works. Instead, when that show was written, they foisted onto it a musical comedy type sort of farcical plot where the family are trying to be something other than what they are to impress the parents of Wednesday's new boyfriend in this very sort of Le Cage aux Foll reminiscent situation. And it's no longer fun because it's no longer the characters that we want to see. And likewise, in Hussar. And I will tell you what happens in this plot because I think it merits explanation. What we have is the joy of the Renaissance Fair and what everyone takes from it slowly slipping away and slowly being sucked out of it because of a new character who has arrived. And the whole thing becomes increasingly tense and a little bit dark. And I don't think the audience particularly enjoy that about this show. In the Addams Family, it feels like a hat on a hat. And in Hussar, it feels like, you know, a helmet on a helmet or a crown on a crown or a hat. You know what, they wear a lot of hats. It's a tricorn hat on a tricorn hat. So, in short, I think one of the major shortcomings here was writing this story that is, you know, a Renaissance Faire musical. It's a sort of complex enough musical theatre plot that happens to be taking place at a Renaissance Fair. Rather than writing the Renaissance Fair musical that musicalizes all of the quintessential ideas of the Renaissance Fair. And, you know, we have to contend with that. So let me try and explain this plot to you. And I haven't done this in some time, but it's convoluted enough that I think we would benefit on this occasion from some visual representation. Those of you listening on podcast platforms, you will not have the benefit of this visual representation. But I am confident that if you just listen to the words that I'm saying, the meaning will hopefully shine through. In any case, we have two sisters, Gwen and Kate. They are both the two daughters of the creator and proprietor of this particular Renaissance Faire, who is. Oh, my gosh, this guy. Apparently, we encounter him towards the beginning and we can sort of tell that he might be struggling a little bit. We learn a little bit more about that later on in the show. But he still has a very close relationship with Kate, one of his two daughters. We find out that he and his wife are divorced and there's a little bit of a rift in the family, particularly between the two sisters. This compounded by the fact that Kate remains at the Renaissance Fair, working with her father and helping to run everything, while Gwen manages their finances from afar. She has not personally visited the Renaissance Fair in some time. So when she has to go back at the very beginning of the show, it's a big deal and people are quite surprised to see her there. The reason for her return is she has found out that there is no money with which to pay all of the employees because the accounts have been drained. She finds out that this is so that they can hire a controversial new member of the Renaissance Fair and pay him in gold, because he is so hardcore, he is so Renaissance, which is not something I thought I would be saying ever in my life, that he does not actually have a bank balance or a Social Security number. Instead he has sword, fighting skills, a codpiece and now an awful lot of gold. His name is. Oh, you. Absolutely his name. His name is Sir Roland. Sir Roland. Do we have a surname here? Proud, with a W. Of course it is. And he has a mane of shoulder length sandy hair, a wardrobe of period appropriate Elizabethan fashion, a pointy sword and a British accent. And if at first he seems to us just deeply passionate about the world of the Renaissance Faire and accurate accuracy in reenactment, and maybe even a little charming, a little dashing perhaps, we quickly learn that he is an egotistical nightmare monster whose uncompromising vision for the fair and everything that he believes it ought to be begins to encroach on everybody else's way of life and basic human rights. Because it's not just the two girls and their father. There are also many other employees at this Renaissance Fair who are all trying to do their own thing. And like I said before, they all have their own rivalries and their own frustrations because some of want to use certain stages and playing spaces, but there are other people on those. There is a lady pirate who wants the Pirate Quarter to be expanded to what it once was and the community that they have there within the Renaissance Faire. All of these employees, these co workers, is basically reflective of a small town with different establishments and businesses and individuals trying to get what they need and sort of brushing up against each other. All of this made all the more complicated when Sir Roland begins to get involved and begins to enforce details that he believes to be correct in the Renaissance Faire in order to take it, as he says, to the next level. Now, initially, Roland here strikes up something of an amorous connection with the sister, Gwen, the one who is Renaissance Fair resentful. And the two of them maybe even share a night of romantic passion with each other, which, for the benefit of everybody involved, I'm not about to reenact with Frozen and Lion the Witch in the Wardrobe Plush, not on this platform anyway. But when Gwen begins to learn the troubling truth about Sir Roland, she is having absolutely none of that. And with perfect timing, he moves on to her impressionable and, I believe, younger, surely younger sister, Kate, who had a thing for Ser Roland and who was already pretty mad at her sister for going there at all, but is quite happy to accept the sloppy seconds, and takes up with Sir Roland in what becomes a very quickly serious relationship, as the two of them then plan together as this royal couple, to run the Renaissance Fair. And it's around this time that their father, proprietor of the fair, decides that the girls are fighting all together too much and it's all getting too complicated. And so he is going to draw a line right down the middle of the main sort of town square area. And everything on that side of the Renaissance Fair is going to be run by Gwen. She can decide what to do with it. And everything on this side of the fair, oh, my gosh, that is going to be run by Kate, and she can decide what to do with it with her ally, Ser Roland, who is basically, you know, doing whatever he wants without consulting her. And in response to this, all of the other participants at the Renaissance Fair then have to make up their own mind and join one of two increasingly hostile rival factions. It kind of turns into Lord of the Flies, but with turkey legs. I think that's about as useful as these are all going to be. Thank you for your service. And it's by this point that the whole thing has become entirely more convoluted and also a little more serious than it ever really needed to be. Because both for the audience and for the characters on stage, participating in the Renaissance Faire simply isn't fun anymore. And as we head into the second act and we begin to approach a revelation of dementia. You can put all this together and see where I'm going with this. It starts to feel a lot like a political allegory that speaks to how a society can become divided under the reign of an egotistic, egotistical dictator who insists upon his own superior way of living. And how the community ought to look and how it ought to be and ruins the lives of everyone else around him. If this is starting to feel eerily familiar, then that's perhaps because it is, but also, like I said, not a story that anyone necessarily expected to see or wanted to see reflected back at them from a Renaissance Fair set musical. There's lots of different things that I thought that this might turn into a political allegory that speaks to the current bleak political situation in the US or with.
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Mayra Amit
A Mochi moment from Tara, who writes for years all my doctor said was eat less and move more, which never worked. But you know what does? The simple eating tips from my nutritionist at Mochi. And after losing over 30 pounds, I can say you're not just another GLP1 source, you're a life source. Thanks, Tara. I'm Mayra Amit, founder of Mochi Health. To find your mochi moment, visit joinmochi.com.
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Mickey Jo
Not one of them, but it is by its climax, this sort of Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies kind of confrontation between these two halves of the Renaissance Fair, with many characters blindly following Sir Roland and doing his dirty work as he turns into more and more of an overt bully and the other characters trying to band together to figure out how to stop him in a manner which increasingly resembles trench warfare. And hey, you might still be thinking that this all sounds wild and wacky enough to actually be fun. The other problem then comes with a whole pile of what felt to me like plot holes and inconsistencies, because so much of this narrative hinges on the fact that they are trapped on different sides of the Renaissance Fair and they don't know what to do and they are stuck in this increasingly miserable situation, which nobody knows how to get out of, except for the fact that we keep finding admittedly very funny humor from the notion of what they all do in the real world. There's a great line right towards the end when they advise Sir Roland that he needs professional psychiatric help. Help. And I think they ask if anyone is a psychiatrist in real life. There are frequent references to the jobs that they do outside the Renaissance Fair, except for the fact that this plot, the one that keeps them all contained and going stir crazy and mad for what must be days in the Renaissance Fair, does not allow for the possibility of an outside world. This could only really work at a Renaissance Fair, which nobody ever leaves. They go to sleep there, they wake up there, they all have a hangover there. There is no notion of this being a workplace that people leave and return to. They're just always there. Unless in the confusion of all of these different characters. I only showed you about five or six. There are more than a dozen on stage. There is some sort of explanation for that, which I missed, which is entirely possible. Now, let me tell you about the songs, because if there was one thing that I thought we were definitely going to get, it was a handful of bangers, because this is Larry o' Keefe and Nell Benjamin in. And I really liked some of the music. I liked that introductory number. I really liked a song which happened towards the beginning of the second act, which was sung by Kate. It might even have been called the Song of Kate. That was a very sort of belty, like, I'm coming into my own, everything's Coming up Kate kind of a number. Yeah, the Song of Kate with an exclamation mark. That's how you know it's fun. We had a couple of more existential ballads like the song Dragons, like the song Howl at the Moon sung by Sir Roland, a whole host of songs about simply getting drunk or the aftermath of getting drunk. But I would say generally that the soul of this score wasn't necessarily quite as boppy and fun as a lot of their other writing. But also, perhaps in response to the plot and the nature of the show itself is a little more serious and self indulgent than I would have liked for it to be. I want this to be bright, poppy, frothy Renaissance Fair songs. And I wonder if it's brought down a little bit too much for. By an attempt to make everything sound of the era and of this Renaissance Elizabethan style. It sounds very much like the first few moments of something Rotten before something rotten bursts out of that introduction. I'm thinking of the song welcome to the Renaissance when at the beginning it's like War of the Roses, Chaucer's tale, the brutal feudal system. And it does that for a few bars, but then we go into welcome to the Renaissance. And that's the energy that I wanted from this show. And I feel like we almost never really got there. Like it kind of stayed in the world of that Renaissance sound. There wasn't much of a suggestion of Gwen having a different voice as an outsider to this world. Her character, it's worth pointing out, was also quite confusing and a little contradictory because we never really could put a finger on the exact nature of her indifference to the world of the Renaissance Fair. She clearly has issues with her father amidst the divorce from their mother. There is a frustration between her and her sister. They've grown apart. But she, quite quickly and with fairly little coercion, comes around the idea of the Renaissance Fair begins to dress in a way that is more participatory. She puts in a corset. She seems like she's into it. It really didn't take much. That is, amidst her romantic encounter with Sir Roland. And we get multiple different explanations for why she left in the first place, what it was that she really wanted. There's a suggestion that her father insisted she be a princess and didn't let her be a knight. And she has issues with a whole bunch of characters. It never gets thoroughly enough unpacked. And there are just a few too many components to it as well. A story like this would benefit from a little more clarity in terms of, this is what she wanted the whole time. This is why she left, this is why she's back. This is what is going to bring her fulfillment rather than these kind of blurring, overarching romantic interest possibilities and also the coming back together of her and herself sister. It just feels like, generally speaking, we're doing a little bit too much. What I loved completely and without reservation, however, was all of the design, the aesthetic of this production. Let me tell you about all of the members of this creative team when it comes to design, that is Todd Rosenthal for the scenic design, Hades Eladoth for the costume design. Probably my favorite things on stage in terms of the design were these costumes. I thought they were stunning and so hypersaturated and colorful. I thought they were really great. Great. Jeff Kreuter's lighting design, Conor Wang's sound design and Erin Chunili's wig design, also terrific. The production itself has been directed by Annie Tipp, with choreography by Katie Spellman. And in spite of the plot and the whole thing becoming, like I said, a little bit too convoluted, a little bit too political, perhaps. And I'm not suggesting that theatre ought not to be political. I just don't know if a Renaissance Fair musical needs to be political before people come for me in the Got comments. I think the presentation of the whole thing and the direction, the choreography, all of that was fun and lively and gave the sense of desperately trying to make this thing what it very easily could have been but was struggling against itself to turn it.
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Mayra Amit
A Mochi moment from Tara, who writes for years all my doctors said was eat less and move more, which never worked. But you know what does? The simple eating tips from my nutritionist at Mochi. And after losing over 30 pounds, I can say you're not just another GLP1 source. You're a life source. Thanks Tara. I'm Mayra Amit, founder of Mochi Health. To find your mochi moment, visit joinmochi.com.
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Mickey Jo
2 since we're talking about people, let us also talk about the performances. And the show was led by these dual leading female roles. We had Lisi Lafontaine as Gwen Mirandola, one of the two sisters, and her younger sister Kate was played by Kalyn Fu. I enjoyed both of their performances tremendously. I bought them as sisters. They had this very Anna Elsa from Frozen Quality, and not just because I was holding those two dolls and that put it in my head, but the idea of the older one having to be the more practical and with a little more weight on her shoulders. But then finding out after the fact everything that the younger sister had been taking responsibility for and had been carrying without her realizing. There was a real beauty in that sisterly relationship and the way that they eventually came to see each other and better understand each other. But also great performances from each of them, great vocals from each of them. Something very satisfying, both about Kate's real love of the Renaissance Faire and what it means to her, and cherishing this relationship with her father whose side she refuses to leave. And likewise, something very satisfying about watching Gwen fall back in love, love with the Renaissance Faire world that she grew up with and then left. Now our antagonist here, of course, is the villainous Renaissance douchebag Sir Roland Proud, played by Leo Roberts. I spent much of the first act thinking, wow, he can do a really great British accent. And then I realized who he was in the intermission, and I realized that I knew who he was and that I believe he is, in fact, British, which explains it. But what he does really very well in this show is to delay the. The full revelation of his villainous nature and what an insidious bully he is. And he does well to be as charming as he is at the beginning, but also never quite untruthful. It's just that no one is asking him enough entire sentences. No one is asking the right questions to figure out who he is and what he's doing there until it's a little too late. He also characterizes his own deep fixation on the world of the Renaissance Faire in a way that's different to everybody else's, because that's going to be the tricky thing with playing this character alongside everyone else, because here you have all of these people who are deeply obsessed with the Renaissance Fair, and they have to be at the beginning, in contrast to Gwen, she comes in as the one who can't stand all of this, who is fatigued by it, and we have to see in comparison that they all desperately love it. But then Sir Roland comes in and he has to love it more than anyone else. And Kate loves it from childhood. Kate loves it with. With nostalgia, and she's willing to put it before everything else. But he has that same feeling in a very different and more sinister way. And we have to be able to infer that, and we can, because of how well they play it and how well it's directed. Lance Arthur Smith plays their father. I really love the moments in the material where we get to find out about the early days of the Renaissance Fair and its inception and its kind of hippie stoner origins. But also the character arc that he gets into the second act when we find out why he has been acting in a way that was perhaps a little bit erratic, that's actually quite emotionally satisfying and very well played. And then we get into a whole wealth of supporting cast members and townspeople. Kate Shindle being one of my favorites in this ensemble. I mean, any Nell Benjamin and Lawrence o' Keefe show where Kate Shindle gets to appear as the font of all knowledge, who gives characters a stern talking to that redirects them before the conclusion of the show, is always a satisfying place to be. If you don't know she was the original Vivian Kensington in Legally Blonde, the musical on Broadway. My only wish is that, like in that show, she gets a moment towards the end where she gets to sing a miraculous song and do a really high belt on like Renaissance Fair. I know it would be utter plagiarism of their own work. I don't care. It's what I need. When Kate Schindel is on stage for the first time in a very long time. Josh Breckenridge, another one who I thought was terrific in this. Peyton Crimm as this centuries old, wise and slightly mysterious blacksmith. Very good value, very good material. Alison Gwynne as the lady Eve, a seamstress who gets bullied into trying to donate this very expensive intricate wedding dress to Kate for free by Sir Rowland when the two of them are planning unexpected nuptials. Another very likable, very distinctly characterized performance. That's another real great attribute of this show is that they manage to create all of these very distinct and charming characters. Even if at the start you arrive conclusion that they are all a little bit crazy and perhaps they are all functioning alcoholics on some level. It's a really terrific ensemble of personalities with which you could put together a really easy charming show about a normal nice day at the Renaissance Fair. Kevin Paris though, is another one I absolutely have to mention and another alumnus of the original Broadway company of Legally Blonde the Musical because he just elevates material and brings this uniquely sweet comic gravitas us to it in everything that he does. An utterly delightful presence on stage, as are many of the members of this particular company. And so given that there is a lot to celebrate here and an awful lot to enjoy about it, it wasn't hard to watch, it wasn't dissatisfying, it wasn't boring, it was just a little less fun, a little less whimsical, a little less joyous this than I was desperately hoping that it would be. I dare say there could be a future for Hussar. There is some really strong material in there. I liked just living in these scenes and spending time with these characters. I was curious about how the plot was going to unfold. I was rooting for certain relationships and certain individuals and I wanted to see more of them. I am a musical theatre person. I'm also a theme park person and I liked finding out more about the geography of this area and I was getting excited about the possibility of a full production that could have, you know, more themed aspects around the theatre going experience itself. And you could see it within the context of something that started to resemble a Renaissance Fair. And audience members are already going to this in groups, in costume and they could sell turkey legs in the foyer. There is so much about this that could work, that could become a really fantastic, whimsical commercial venture. Because as it stands, it's falling between two different ideas. It is neither essential, hard hitting, thought provoking theater that is, you know, striking at something very truthful and very familiar in a way that is making us think and fostering conversation. Nor is it the opposite. Nor is it fun enough or joyous enough, or enough of a distraction from the world being on fire. Instead, it tries to do something that is funny, that is silly, but references all of that political drama and even that wouldn't matter so much if it was landing a little bit more, if it was was evoking these guffaws of laughter, which it wasn't really. I just didn't think that we were all having a good enough time at the Renaissance Fair musical. But of course those are only my thoughts and as always, I would love to hear yours. If you have seen Huzzah. At the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego during its limited run the world premiere production, let me know what you thought of it in the comments section down below. And let me know if you have any ideas about how this show could progress and develop develop into something even more entertaining. In the meantime, thank you so much for listening to my review. I hope that you enjoyed if you did you know what to do. You can subscribe here on YouTube, turn on channel notifications so you don't miss any of my upcoming videos, or you can follow me on podcast platforms. And as always, I hope that everyone is staying safe and that verily, you have a stagey day for ten more seconds. I'm Mickey Jo Theatre. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe this episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance.
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Host: Mickey Jo
Date: October 26, 2025
In this episode, theatre critic and YouTuber Mickey Jo reviews the world premiere of Huzzah!, a new musical by Nell Benjamin and Larry O’Keefe, staged at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Drawing from his first-ever visit to California and armed with a deep love for all things theatrical, Mickey Jo explores the show's ambitions, successes, and struggles, offering a candid critique for listeners considering the future of this Renaissance Faire-set musical.
“The vibes of the thing, at least the way that it’s portrayed in Huzzah, feels a little bit like Disneyland if everyone is having at least three more drinks.” (03:52)
The central plot follows two sisters, Gwen and Kate, daughters of the fair’s proprietor, as they navigate family rifts and the arrival of a new, disruptive reenactor, Sir Roland.
The father’s instability and the financial crisis spark tensions—leading to the hiring of Sir Roland, a zealot with no bank account but ample “renaissance authenticity.”
The story quickly escalates from light comedy to a convoluted, tense allegory, echoing themes of despotic leadership and political division.
“My thesis basically is that you could just take a normal day at the Renaissance Fair and create songs around that. And that is a good enough musical.” (07:55)
“Not unlike the Addams Family before it, I feel as though we take what would be a really easy, fun musical comedy concept and we make it needlessly frustrating and needlessly convoluted.” (08:43)
As the plot develops, the fair divides into rival factions led by the sisters—a plot device Mickey Jo likens to “Lord of the Flies, but with turkey legs.” (13:53)
By Act II, the musical shades into political allegory, reflecting on contemporary issues of division and authoritarianism.
"It starts to feel a lot like a political allegory that speaks to how a society can become divided under the reign of an egotistic, egotistical dictator..." (14:37)
Mickey Jo expresses disappointment that the show is less fun and whimsical than its premise promises.
The attempt to weave depth and dysfunction into the narrative results in tonal confusion; instead of joy or insight, the musical lands in an awkward middle.
"It tries to do something that is funny, that is silly, but references all of that political drama… It just isn’t fun enough or joyous enough, or enough of a distraction from the world being on fire." (28:45)
Plot inconsistencies, such as the characters seemingly living at the fair with no outside world, undermine the narrative’s credibility.
"...this plot… does not allow for the possibility of an outside world...This could only really work at a Renaissance Fair, which nobody ever leaves." (16:54)
While a few songs (like “The Song of Kate”) shine, the overall score leans more serious and self-indulgent than expected for Benjamin and O’Keefe’s typically “frothy” output.
The musical flavor remains too tied to faux-Elizabethan pastiche, never bursting into the “bangers” the creative team are capable of.
“I want this to be bright, poppy, frothy Renaissance Fair songs. And I wonder if it’s brought down a little bit too much… by an attempt to make everything sound of the era and of this Renaissance Elizabethan style.” (18:25) “It sounds very much like the first few moments of Something Rotten before Something Rotten bursts out of that introduction...That’s the energy I wanted from this show, and I feel like we almost never really got there.” (19:00)
Gwen (Lisi Lafontaine): The “practical” elder sister who begrudgingly reconnects with her Renaissance Fair roots, though her motivations are sometimes confused.
Kate (Kalyn Fu): The enthusiastic, loyal younger sister, and the emotional heart of the story’s familial strand.
Sir Roland (Leo Roberts): A charming manipulator whose true, dictatorial nature emerges as events spiral.
Mickey Jo praises not just the three leads, but the rich, distinct supporting cast, highlighting Kate Shindle, Josh Breckenridge, Peyton Crimm, Alison Gwynne, and Kevin Pariseau.
“I enjoyed both of their performances tremendously. I bought them as sisters. They had this very Anna-Elsa-from-Frozen quality...” (23:19) “Our antagonist… Sir Roland Proud, played by Leo Roberts. I spent much of the first act thinking, wow, he can do a really great British accent. And then I realized…he is, in fact, British, which explains it.” (23:44)
"The vibes of the thing… feels a little bit like Disneyland if everyone is having at least three more drinks." (03:52)
"It’s a tricorn hat on a tricorn hat." (10:22)
"If you can’t get laid at the Renaissance Fair, you cannot get laid." (05:03)
"It tries to do something that is funny, that is silly, but references all of that political drama… if it was landing a little bit more, if it was evoking these guffaws of laughter, which it wasn’t really." (28:45)
"I just didn’t think that we were all having a good enough time at the Renaissance Fair musical." (29:23)
| Time | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:49 | Show introduction and context on Renaissance Fairs | | 04:30 | Show’s premise and unique setting | | 06:40 | Concerns about over-complicating the basic premise | | 10:22 | “Tricorn hat on a tricorn hat”—on needlessly complex story | | 13:50 | Plot summary: rivalry, division, and the rise of Sir Roland | | 14:37 | Shift into political allegory; US political climate parallels| | 16:54 | Plot holes: characters inexplicably never leave the fair | | 18:25 | Score assessment; lack of expected musical energy | | 21:02 | Praise for staging, costumes, and design elements | | 23:19 | Acting highlights: sisters’ dynamic, ensemble | | 28:45 | Final thoughts: identity crisis and lack of pure fun |
Potential for the Future:
Mickey Jo sees the show's core setting, cast, and design as highly marketable, envisioning immersive experiences with costumed audiences and Renaissance-themed theater concessions. But as it stands, Huzzah! is caught between being a silly, joyful romp and earnest, weighty allegory—leaving neither aspect fully satisfying.
Summary Judgment:
“It wasn’t hard to watch, it wasn’t dissatisfying, it wasn’t boring, it was just a little less fun, a little less whimsical, a little less joyous than I was desperately hoping it would be.” (27:21)
Mickey Jo encourages listeners who saw Huzzah! to share their own perspectives and ideas for improvement, showing his openness to broader conversation around the work’s development and future.
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