Britney Spears. Florida’s so-called "Don’t Say Gay" legislation. Hamilton. And a certain slap heard around the world.
Those are but a few of the cultural topics spoofed in the new local production of the off-Broadway institution, Newsical.
But this isn’t just a musical version of late-night TV jokes. The people behind this edition have infused a heavy amount of Las Vegas into the show.
The original show is 20 years old, but it's brand new to Majestic Repertory Theater in downtown Las Vegas and is playing through April 24.
"It's ever-changing, which is great for audiences, terrible for production crew, because we're in a perpetual state of previews," said Tom D'Angora, the show's producer and director. "But I think the fact that we do update it so much, and you never see the same show twice, is what made it such a New York institution and why people kept coming back years after years after years."
It's quite the selection process for what makes it into the show. D'Angora used Metaverse as an example: "Do enough people know about that yet?"
When KNPR recently saw the show, it featured a dig at Adele's Las Vegas saga. It was a hit.
"Let's really look at the local Vegas media and and base it on what Vegas people are saying about it, not what the outside is saying on it," he said. "I think that's why it's resonating so well."
If you haven't been to Majestic Repatory yet, it's a 99-seat storefront theater space on Main Street. How did its leader Troy Heard market a news-themed musical in the age of news exhaustion?
"At the end of the day, this is a good time, it's fun," he said.
"Coming out of the past few years is a chance to get together in a room, laugh, breathe, and, you know, have a little fun."
For ticket information, click here.
Tom D’Angora, producer and director, Newsical the Musical; Troy Heard, artistic director, Majestic Repertory Theater
