Saturday, February 15, 2014

The Chocolate Show @47th Street Theatre

The smell of chocolate accosts the senses when walking into the intimate space of the 47th Street Theatre. The culprit? Dan Foster’s production of “The Chocolate Show”, book and music by Alan Golub and Laura Goldfader with lyrics by Alan Golub. And while the title of the show may lend itself to a certain high-brow intellectual atmosphere, don’t look for a deeper meaning because you won’t find one. The show features a five person cast, Emily McNamara, Laura D’Andre, Talene Monahon, Andrew Pandaleon, and James Patterson.  Filled with quirky comedic bits and chocolate themed musical numbers lathered in a farcical nature, the show caters to a younger audience and should not be placed on the radar of any spectator wishing to spend a sophisticated night at the theatre.
Heavy with audience participation, the show gives license to its audience members to embrace their inner child and be completely silly; to become kids again – in fact the song “Kid’s Again” sung sweetly by Talene Monahon was a musical highlight in this off-Broadway form of children’s theatre.  Also deserving special mention is Laura D’Andre. Together the pair made quite talented cupcakes. And while the onstage changes and noted skill of the cast of impressive singers stood out as creative and smooth, the overall world of the show is too ridiculous to be taken seriously. Which then lends itself, in this opinion, to be a considered a work in progress chocolate themed pageant for kids. Even worse, the suffocating cheese ball charm is somewhat soured by the constant shameless plug advertising of the chocolate companies who have lent support to the production. At times the show seemed more infomercial than theatre. Yet, the children in attendance had fun, and the adults had fun watching the kids have fun, giving all an opportunity to embrace their inner child.  P.S. A special shout out to Noah – The King of the Coco Bean!
Recommended for family fun and children under 10, “The Chocolate Show” opens February 14th at the 47th Street Theater.
Review By: Morgan Mack and Lisa Kosak

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