LOVE COMICS
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It’s from these pages that Sarah Schlesinger and David Evans conjure up their new musical comedy Love Comics, premiering at the Illinois Theatre Center, located way out in Park Forest. Romance comics seem a clever subject for a musical: the plots are lively, the characters are colorful, and the subject–love–is always an appropriate one to set to music. In writing this spoof of 1950s Americana, Schlesinger and Evans wisely stole from every page of the comics–including the advertising–to provide some campy moments. Phrases like “Puff! Puff! I’m almost home!” and “Be the first in your set to get one!” weasel their way into the dialogue. A man sees a woman and lets out a testosterone-laden “Gee!” In an ad, a woman testifies that she found respect, excitement, and a wealthy doctor through her new career in nursing.
Director Steve Billig does his best to give us a fast-paced, polished show; Ed Kross’s choreography is witty and lively; and Stephen E. Moore’s costumes provide a colorful spoof of each character. Actually Love Comics has just about everything a good musical needs–except good music. Evans’s score lacks variety and emotional depth, a problem exacerbated by the tinny-sounding synthesizer used for all the numbers. Up-tempo love songs with punchy lyrics get dull the ninth or tenth time.
