DOCTOR! DOCTOR! Egyptian Theatre Company, Park City, through Aug. 17 (435-649-9371 or 1-888-243-5779). Running time: 2 hours (one intermission).
PARK CITY — In the mood for a sing-a-long about hemorrhoids? Want to laugh about plastic surgery? Or chortle about sex clinics?
It's black humor and it's body humor for the rest of the summer with "Doctor! Doctor!" a musical review by Peter Ekstrom playing at Park City's Egyptian Theatre.
Each member of the four-person cast has a good voice. Victoria Mallory and Camille VanWagoner's voices are much better than good. Mallory is also a great dancer. And VanWagoner also knows how to shimmy and strut. And Bruce Bredeson and Steven Fehr mug it up enough to make up for the fact that they obviously didn't major in dance.
In short, this cast is excellent. They are actually even better than their material.
Only about 20 of the 30 songs in this musical review are cute. Some — like the song about a smoker who is on oxygen but can't give up cigarettes — are just a single joke. They aren't compelling for more than two verses, but they go on longer. Other songs — like the one sung by a man about his fat girlfriend — are offensive. Two of the serious songs don't work because the lyrics are sappy.
But when the songs are funny, they are truly funny. VanWagoner sings a twangy western lament about her late husband, Willie, who was an organ donor. (She's pretty sure his corneas went to women, because that's where his eyes always went. She figures he might have given someone his middle finger — but never a hand.)
Mallory tap dances and does high kicks as she sings about her impending suicide. She and Bredeson revolve around each other within their iron lungs revealing the secrets of metal-bound love. In a piece titled "Nine Long Months Ago," the four actors are adorable as unborn babies, in padded suits, dancing within a large pink balloon. Fehr has a nice solo in, "I'm a Well Known, Respected Practitioner," a rather sober song about a doctor who drinks.
Steven Barlow is the musical director and pianist. Ellen Graham directs. David Hallock designed the sound; George Maxwell, the scenery; and Peter Willardson, the lighting. Brent Schneider is choreographer.
On opening night, Richard Scott, who is currently artistic director at the Grand Theatre and was formerly at the Egyptian, came back to thank the audience for their support during a year of growing pains and remind them of the Egyptian's place in the community. Still, those who come to the Egyptian's latest effort don't have to do it out of duty. There's a lot to like about "Doctor! Doctor!" The pace is fast, the music ranges from gospel to pop to country and the performances are extremely peppy.
However audiences must be warned: Nothing is held sacred in this script. From spit to frontal lobotomies to the power of prayer. Also sexual innuendos abound.
E-MAIL: susan@desnews.com