Paulanne Simmons
Who Is Jimmy Pants?
If you missed A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, or The Cher Show, or Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, have no fear. Now there’s Who Is Jimmy Pants? a new musical that summarizes and satirizes all those jukebox musicals Broadway, if not always the critics, loves so much. With music and lyrics by Joseph Church and book and lyrics by Jeff Bienstock, this unpretentious jewel, directed by Stephen Nachamie, has made its way to The York Theatre as the second presentation of the “New2NY” series of staged readings. After the rousing first number, whose title, “Do You Remember Nostalgia?” tells it all, we see Jimmy (the likable and talented Steven Booth) crouching in the bathroom, uncertain and frightened. Looking back at his life, the onetime rock ‘n’ roll star is ambivalent about his past and uncertain of his future. This is admittedly shaky ground for the decades-long retrospective that makes up the bulk of Who Is Jimmy Pants? but the extended flashback is done with so much good humor, sly references to current and past pop culture and wonderful musical pastiches, you’re soon a believer. Jimmy Pantz and his pals, Tony (Michael Notardonato), Nicky (Aaron Arnell Harrington) and Bjorgvin (John Wascavage) are members of a singing group with an unlikely obsession with toilet functions and an equally unfortunate predilection for writing songs with great melodies but ridiculous titles like “Snappin’ For You” and “Shruggin’ For You.” Nevertheless, promotor Burt Grompsky (David Garrison) sees promise in the group (probably their incredible four-part harmony) and takes them on as clients. As required by all jukebox musicals, Grompsky is unscrupulous and exploitative - but in Garrison’s capable hands, silly enough to appear benign. Grompsy renames the group The Corduroys, and Jimmy Pantz, now Pants, becomes group leader, despite some grousing from the others. Their trajectory is slow but steady. But there are internal conflicts that pull them apart. Tony is a macho Italian with ideas of his own. Bjorgvin may have ideas but he’s Icelandic and his accent is so thick (Wascavage is hilarious) who even knows what he’s saying? Nicky, the bass, feels underappreciated (eventually Garrison proves his worth), But before the group (inevitably) disbands, they write songs that reflect the changing tastes of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, including, disco, Latin and pop songs with title like “Doin’ It” and “Sue, Sue, Sue.” Notardonato’s John Travolta imitation is a masterpiece. Jimmy even meets the girl of his dreams, Dora Dell (Kirstin Scott)
of Dora Dell and the Ding Dongs. Like any celebrity couple, they
get married and divorced (several times) and have a bratty kid,
Timmy (Jim Conroy), who gets in trouble with the police and ends
up in cuffs. Scott is delightfully ditzy and little Timmy, played
by big Jim, gets some of the biggest laughs of the evening.
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