American Television audiences have always enjoyed the chat show genre, from the likes of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to David Letterman and of course Oprah. They also have a deep fixation with car-crash TV as seen by the popularity of Jerry Springer. So what happens when you put both of these genres together under the musical theatre microscope? Simple you get got!
New York writer Nick Messitte has put together a show which grabs the audience even before they get into the venue with stage fall-outs from the chat show ‘The Today, Tonight Show’. The show is built around the premise that the fringe audience is the actual audience for ‘The Today, Tonight Show’ recording the 25th anniversary special of the chat show hosted by Preston Quick. Preston is somewhat disillusioned with his 25 years in this business and gets off on setting up his guests with over the top pranks (hence the get gots) he is joined in the show by his co-host Wayne Johnson.
What follows is an hour long show filled with celebrity guests on the make, a production crew at breaking point and everyone involved in the filming itself showing that all that matters is themselves. Ultimately the show questions our preoccupation with knowing the intimate details of other people’s lives.
This excellent musical is performed with style by a very talented cast especially Patrick Ryan Sullivan and Conleth Kane in their respective roles as the show hosts. Special mention must also go to Dermot Canavan, as John, who excels as the emotional production runner who has clearly lost everything in the bottom of a whisky bottle.
This show is so stylish it actually feels like you’re in a studio recording. Added to the mix is a funky house band which produced some excellent new song writing. Kerry Jackson as Charlotte Harwood brings the show to a close with an emotional song that actually gets the audience thinking about the true human cost of so called trash TV.
This is truly a sparkling diamond and with further polishing will be heading for the West End and further still. It’s a true collaboration of excellent writing, stunning music and fabulous acting from a very talented cast which leaves the audience begging the question, when will I be Get Got again?
