There are musicals created simply to make you smile. Or, in the cast of Emojiland, “Smize.” That would be the character Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes. Laura Schein plays the bubbly on the surface Smize. She co-wrote the book, music and lyrics for this cotton candy confection with Keith Harrison. If you own a cell phone and have penchant for delectable frippery, Emojiland is a recommended download.
Download is the major plot catalyst which drives this show. As Information Desk Person informs, “emojis of all shapes and sizes have come together to count down the moments and count up the percentage and installation of what may be a major software update.” Immigrants are about to crash into Emojiland. Friends or foes?
Quite a few emojis have been hanging around since 1.0. This update is number 5.0. Some of them are excitedly embracing change and others are nervous. Thinking Face deadpans to Smize, “I was thinking… what do you want from the update?” Police Officer (Felicia Boswell) worries, “I hope we don’t get a fresh batch of bad characters.” Her girlfriend, Construction Worker (Natalie Weiss), coos, “If anyone can handle ’em, it’s you PoPo.” Good vibes combined with silly musical comedy sweetness are the tones effectively created here.
Then again, there is no show without conflict. We’ve all watched the Progress Bar waiting and hoping for a successful update to our cell phones. These emojis have their whole way of life about to be permanently changed and, perhaps, not for the better. Imagine you are the Princess happily lording over your internal cell phone universe. The arrival of a Prince might be an unwelcome intrusion.
Lesli Margherita (Matilda) sings “Princess is a Bitch.” She is indeed. She is also a pink wigged bauble sporting a Madonna-esque pony tail. This show is filled with delightfully conceived characters. In the supremely capable hands of Ms. Margherita, Princess rules them all. The performance is hilarious and, by itself, worth the price of admission.
Not to be outdone, a very dandy Prince arrives fully intent on assuming his privilege. The relationship between the two royals will not take on a romantic angle, for obvious reasons. Josh Lamon and Lesli Margherita are reprising the roles they originated last year at the New York Musical Festival (NYMF). Like the best monarchs, they slay with abandon.
The romcom in Emojiland is between Smize and Sunny (Smiling Face with Sunglasses). If Smize is sweetness and goodness, Sunny is all conceit and ego. He “makes your pixels start to pound.” Jacob Dickey is excellent in a confident Off-Broadway debut.
Nerd Face is also downloaded as part of version 5.0. He becomes the moral center of this story. Terrifically played by a perfect George Abud, the unending cascade of dorky lines are possibly the funniest elements in the witty script. After he joins the emojis, Nerd Face will be the first to realize that something is up with the studly Sunny and the ditzy Kissy Face (Heather Makalani, delightful in multiple roles.)
Max Crumm (Grease) is memorable as Man in Business Suit Levitating. He spends the whole show on a hoverboard. His choreography is both effortless and unfathomable. Tony Award nominee Lucas Steele channels Alice Cooper, a Victorian Grim Reaper plus the Jekyll & Hyde and Phantom of the Opera musicals in his portrayal of Skull, a sadly depressed emoji who wants his existence to be deleted.
A pile of other characters pop in and out of Emojiland. The only one that seemingly stinks is Pile of Poo (Avenue Q‘s Ann Harada). Her one number in the second act was the only dud in a tuneful pop score. (When I saw this show’s debut last year, I recall this song being a humorous turd.) Overall, however, this very talented cast does a stellar job belting out vocals and nailing their laughs.
Director Thomas Caruso’s production frames the show in technology with a fun house set design by David Goldstein and projections by Lisa Renkel & Possible (who also created the clever props). Vanessa Leuck’s brilliant costume and make-up designs are colorfully cartoonish. If you can remember back to being a wide-eyed child, Emojiland hits the senses like arriving at a carnival. There’s too much of everything. As a result, fun appears in every direction.
When I saw and reviewed the NYMF version of Emojiland in 2018, I was a big fan. It is nice to report that the upgrade succeeds. At the end of that review I wrote: “One plea: Can we add dancing lady in a red dress emoji? Please?” Kenny Ingram’s spirited choreography happily includes Man and Woman Dancing. Her dress was red. This theater nerd was smizing from ear to ear.