I've Got The Curse

Too much modern musical theater seems hellbent on parodying itself or gorging on current events. The smug lampooning, the cheeky, rapid-fire show-tune rants miming political stupidity — it's run its course, died, gotten buried, and had the soil above it salted. I'll grant that Avenue Q seems preciously daring, and I'm sure Bat Boy deserves its rabid cult following, but if I suspect a show has no crinolines or devastating Act I crescendo, I'll proudly pass. That's why The Curse of the Goddamned Ship works so well: This pirate zombie musical isn't steeped in a surplus of social satire or puzzling plot lines. (Welcome to the Sofia Coppola era.) Curse's dark comedy revolves around the SS Chubby Uncle, a haunted ship that surfaces every 100 years, along with its psychopathic crew, to take you on a trip to the stars while the ship sinks back down into the sea. But really the production is just an excuse for bat-shit merriment and fanatical, nautical glee courtesy of former Odeon bar staples Jenny Jo and Ben Burke (who wrote the book) and Linda Robertson and Mr. Phoenix (who provide music and lyrics).
Nov. 18, 8 p.m.