ROADKILL // A STREAMING THEATRE REVIEW OF "SLOPPY BONNIE"
Billed as a "Roadkill musical for the modern chick," SLOPPY BONNIE is an original musical that has a fairly simple and at the same time very convoluted plot that aims for high silliness through and through. Amanda Disney plays Bonnie, a young woman who's on a road trip to surprise her youth pastor fiancé. Her journey there is hit with a lot of snags and bumps in the road, including accidentally killing a man. Her "sloppiness," as they tell us, comes from her getting sloppy when she drinks, which happens a lot. She loves Starbucks, she loves Jesus and she loves a good cliche. All of the other roles in the musical are played by two actors: Curtis Reed and James Rudolph II. Both actors show a great range of being able to morph fluidly as they jump from person to person, playing everything from Radio DJ's to Jesus himself.
The issues with SLOPPY BONNIE, which was recorded in Nashville and streamed for all to see, aren't coming from the cast. Amanda Disney, in the lead role of Bonnie, along with Curtis Reed and James Rudolph II, are all incredibly talented. Their vocal chops are stellar and their comic ability is high. The score itself is at least tuneful (the music is all in the style of bluegrass and country), but it's often very similar. After we get to the umpteenth similar ballad, you might be wondering if we need any more songs at all (that, and the opening number doesn't at all "hook you."). No, the main problem is that the show is just... bizarre. Sure, it's meant to be very broad and silly comedy, but the comedy just isn't funny. It feels much closer to a bad re-run of the variety series "He Haw," which ran on television from 1969 to 1971.
The plot is convoluted and confusing, and the staging isn't too spectacular (that last bit can be forgiven, as it's staged with Covid guidelines in an abandoned parking lot and feels more like a staged concert most of the time). The most grating and annoying thing in the show is while watching the stream, you also have to watch an endless amount of bad animation, which writers Krista Knight & Barry Brinegar have plastered up on the screen themselves. Purposely crude and badly drawn, everything from a random word that someone just said to locations to what looks like an outline of an audience over the audience is animated for those at home to see. It's completely unnecessary and doesn't trust the home audience to simply enjoy the talent of those on stage. To say that it took me out of the moment, every moment, is to put it mildly. The world has seen countless live performances streamed, especially over the past year. We WANT to hear the audience laugh, yet here they mute the reactions for the most part, leaving the show feel like every joke lands with a bomb. Though I'm not sure if it would have helped me, it would have made it feel far less weird. SLOPPY BONNIE is one of the strangest and oddest musicals I have seen in some time and it's a shame that nearly none of it works, despite a very talented cast. I'm glad this show has found success in its hometown, but the likelihood of finding a home in NYC is about as likely as Bonnie singing a tune that doesn't sound like the one she just sang. It just ain't gonna happen.
GRADE: D+
WRITTEN BY Krista Knight, Barry Brinegar DIRECTED BY Leah Lowe STARRING Amanda Disney, Curtis Reed, James Rudolph II FILMED LIVE AT OZ ARTS NASHVILLE AND STREAMED ONLINE. FOR MORE INFO: SLOPPY BONNIE