Five Guys Named Moe
Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park, Florida
Directed and Choreographed by Josh Morales
Musical Direction by Brandon Martin
Starring James Berkley
by Carl F. Gauze
I’ve been in a lot of bars and clubs, but I’ve never entered a place quite like “The Funky Butt Club.” But that’s where we find ourselves tonight, hanging out with five guys named “Moe,” all gathered to whup some sense into their friend: another guy named… take a wild guess… MOE. He’s been drinking and messing around and is about to lose his latest GF. The other Mo’s troop in, sober him up, and explain how he should behave.
It’s a noble endeavor, but a difficult one, and step one is called: “Pick a gal and stick with her.” Moe is very good at picking women, and he already boasts a half-dozen girls. That task isn’t cut out for all, but the other Moes (Evan Edwards, Eric Green, Darryl Reuben Hall, Brandon Martin, and Adourin Jamelle Owens) arrive, dress for a Broadway production number, and proceeded to whup him into shape.
By act two, everyone is on stage, serenading us about fidelity in a musical style known mostly for encouraging infidelity. And it sounds perfectly logical, because why? It’s musical theater, silly. Nothing has to make sense tonight. But there plenty of good tunes, all up to Winter Park Playhouse standards. After all, we ARE in the “Funky Butt Club,” and that’s about as naught as it gets here in Winter Park.
The tunes are all pretty classic blues numbers. Titles are often suggestive, as are the lyrics: “Patting and poking,” “Dad gum you Hide Boy,” and “I Like ‘Em Fat Like That.” I could go on, but we have standards here at Ink 19.
Catch this if you can. Tickets are selling fast, and they’re still pouring at the bar. And remember: nothing makes for better musical theater than people fooling around.
