Hucksterland has a lot of promise. A punk rock musical about the downfall of a corporate landlord, written and directed by Caleigh Crow, music and lyrics by Sacha Crow & Gus Rendell, co-produced by Chromatic Theatre & Thumbs Up Good Work Theatre. It’s part of the High Performance Rodeo, and it’s meant to be a moment to laugh together as we watch the horror of the world around us.
The musical introduces Jordan Jamison (Mike Tan), a rich landlord who launders money, commits fraud, and has no remorse. He colludes with the Mayor Jan Van Jan (Josh Bertwistle) to make it all happen. Jordan’s smart assistant Aspyn Colorado (Safia Comtois-Mohamad) runs the company and keeps everything afloat while keeping renters like Fritz Parker (Colin Wolf) at bay with their valid concerns about their homes. The facade starts to fall apart when a crown investigator Belinda Moss (Michelle Thrush) starts to ask some pertinent questions.
The musical is meant to be satirical and over the top. And it is. But it’s got a lot of issues with presentation that bring it down. The music is much too loud for the space, and it overpowers the lyrics, which are incredibly important in a musical. The satirical nature of the show loses its lustre when the characters are just villainous caricatures. The lack of depth and the overpowering volume of the music makes for a one note production. The story and characters lack depth and nuance and that would be okay if the production was packed with razor sharp irony. This production is lacking in that regard.
Tan and Bertwistle are contrasted to the realness of Thrush and Comtois-Mohamad, and this difference is fighting throughout the production. Their vocals in the musical are not immediately apparent, though Comtois-Mohamad has a lovely voice, of what you can hear.
The live music played by The Pests is a nice touch. Technical and scenic design by Neil Fleming makes good use of the small space with projection design setting the stage. Ajay Badoni’s lighting design adds to the theatricality of the production.
If you’re looking for light, funny, over the top satire, Hucksterland is a good bet.
Hucksterland is a co-production by Chromatic Theatre & Thumbs Up Good Work Theatre as part of the High Performance Rodeo. Tickets and more information is available online.