Playwright: Jed Levine; Composer: Brad Kemp. At: Forth Story Productions at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: 773-975-8150 or TappedTheMusical.com; $20-$35. Runs through: July 3
BY SCOTT C. MORGAN
TAPPED: A Treasonous Musical Comedy name-checks and comments on a number of other musicals in its Act I finale. Specifically, there's a crack about Les Miserables needing to shave off an hour from its running time.
Now if only that time-cutting advice had been applied to TAPPED itself. This shoddily constructed and sloppily staged show wears out its welcome long before the end of its own near-three-hour running time.
Inspired by the early days of the Edward Snowden spying saga, TAPPED grew out of a 2014 class at The Second City Training Center and was previously staged at MCL Chicago in 2015. But TAPPED is notably not ready for prime time, making one wish that playwright Jed Levine and composer Brad Kemp had spent more time rewriting before mounting it at Theater Wit.
TAPPED follows the exploits of Mary ( Laureen Siciliano ), a disgruntled and lovelorn NSA agent who is obsessed with Sandra Bullock films and Reese's candies. Mary falls for her former college flame, the none-too-bright whistleblower activist Steve ( Max Hinders ) who has designs on stealing documents detailing the NSA's domestic spying program.
Clearly Kemp and Levine aimed to write a self-aware meta comedy like so many successful shows in vogue that mock the form and stereotypes of musicals while also embracing them. Yet far too many songs just repeat what's stated in the plot scene preceding them, delaying the forward drive of the show rather than helping to heighten the drama.
Levine and Kemp show themselves to be well-versed on plenty of jokey pop cultural references tied to spying shows, particularly with the 24-obsessed NSA bigwig Patrick ( David Dritsas ). But often scenes abruptly finish without satisfying comic buttons. TAPPED is also overstuffed with unnecessary or underdeveloped minor characters.
Director Molly Todd Madison does a poor job staging TAPPED, with far too many drawn-out scene changes that spoil the momentum of the show. Holly Gombita's choreography can also feel tacked on, particularly with the opening number tap dance that comes out of nowhere.
On the plus side, TAPPED can be commended for making its main characters strong women, particularly with Mary's proudly promiscuous co-worker friend, Lisa ( Brittny Congleton ), and the stylish international Swiss spy Juliana ( Jenna Steege, giving the show's one true consistently comic performance ).
TAPPED features a large ensemble of clearly talented performers who deserve better material. ( The performers also should have better scenery, since you fear for the safety of many who have to stand atop lightweight folding chairs. )
With TAPPED, students of The Second City Training Center should rush out to see itnot so much for inspiration, but as an example of what not to do when writing original musical comedies.