Broadway Melodies delivers on witty humor

Pauper Players’ “Broadway Melodies 2013” seamlessly combines classic Broadway melodies with pop culture.

The show opened with “The Avengers Convention” — written and directed by Alex Koceja — which featured types of people you might expect to see at Comic-Con.

But in the show, when Comic-Con was threatened, the self-proclaimed nerds attending the convention transformed into The Avengers.

Filled with witty humor aptly aimed at college students, “The Avengers Convention” was the most successful and popular production of the night’s three shows.

The audience’s laughter continued throughout the riveting performance, and “The Avengers Convention” even garnered a standing ovation.

The show’s popularity is due largely to the contribution of Quinn Matney, who portrayed both Luigi and Loki.

Matney’s performance stood out because of his ability to be simultaneously hilarious and serious — no small feat.

The Broadway song “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music” was parodied into numerating the Hulk’s least favorite things, much to the audience’s delight.

But in contrast to the excellent acting, “The Avengers Convention” suffered with timing — actors were either too fast or too slow for the piano accompaniment.

“Cluessical,” a parody based on the board game-turned-movie “Clue,” was written and directed by Alex Thompson.

The production did not follow the predictable route of discovering the murderer.

Rather, Thompson shocked the audience into laughter by adding a Mormon S.W.A.T. Team leader, along with his three wives, girlfriend and Blue from “Blue’s Clues.”

More Broadway songs, such as “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” and “Music of the Night,” were appropriately altered to fit Thompson’s production.

“James Bond: The Musical” gave off a more serious feel than the other shows, which resulted in fewer laughs and a slightly less entertaining production compared to the others.

However, writer and director Richie Walter did include humorous moments.

Bond, portrayed by Cressler Peele, was sent on an exhaustive mission to investigate an explosion on the set of Britney Spears’ music video.

The addition of Tyra Banks, played by Mary Stewart Evans, was a highlight of the show as well.
Evans’ spot-on portrayal of the sassy Banks kept the audience laughing.

“Broadway Melodies 2013” succeeded in the areas of humor and entertainment. The student production sought to deliver a good time and didn’t disappoint.

Contact the desk editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.