FRINGENYC: Invader? I Hardly Know Her

                                  SEXY COWGIRL
            Freeze!


                                  ALIEN GIRL
            Oh no you caught m-- 
            Wait, what does a sexy cowgirl have to do with a
            science fiction musical?


                                  SEXY COWGIRL
            It's sci-fi.


                                  ALIEN GIRL
            So?


                                  SEXY COWGIRL
            So what do you think was the gender of the guy who 
            wrote it?

                                  ALIEN GIRL
            Ah.

It is very hard not to have a good time "Invader? I Hardly Know Her". And trust me, I tried: for the first ten minutes of this musical I was skeptical, but by halfway through act 1 I had hit the point where I couldn't *not* enjoy myself. The premise: a man finds out--on his wedding day--that his wife is actually an alien who has been sent to find the crack into a fifth dimension via his toilet. He, the alien wife, a couple of robots, and some sexy crime-fighting clones must pool their resources before an evil demon from another dimension posesses them all.

It's all very silly but self-mocking, and the lyrics by Jason Powell (who also plays the groom) were smart, witty, and often downright hysterical, which is something I feel we don't see enough emphasis on nowadays. I was surprised to find one of the most ingenious bits to be "Fetish Fighters", four crime fighters cloned to look like a sexy cowgirl, a sexy French Maid, a sexy Native American, and a sexy schoolgirl (the latter played by very funny standout Jessica Carollo). Also a standout is Alison Scarmella as a secret agent who has been tracking the alien bride, but the entire cast is great.

The only real criticism I would give to Powell (who also wrote book and music) in future versions is to give a stronger sense of focus to the main we're-trying-to-find-the-evil-fifth-dimension-being story, perhaps checking back in with that overarching plotline more often as we lose sense of it in all the fun we're having. Still, if you're looking for a good time, a light comedy, and some brilliant lyrics (and if you haven't been having good luck in your FRINGENYC picks so far), do catch Invader's final performance this Saturday.

http://www.fringenyc.org/basic_page.php?ltr=I

www.invaderihardlyknowher.com

VENUE #16: The SoHo Playhouse

Sat 14 @ 10 Tue 17 @ 3 Fri 20 @ 9 Wed 25 @ 5:15 Sat 28 @ 12

1 Comment

Irene Navas | August 31, 2010 8:44 PM

Gil, Your review is so true. I especially loved that "standout" performance by the school girl - Jessica Carollo. Miss Carollo's performance was an outstanding composite of humor, beauty, innocence and sex appeal. Fabulous! This show has so much potential; hysterical is an underestimation of the humor. Campy sci-fi gone awry. What fun! My only criticism would be the lack of focus at points on the central theme. Like you, I lost a sense of purpose at points, maybe it was from trying to not miss a line of the humorous dialogue or lyrics. I hope to see more from this writer and cast in the near future. Bravo!