Gov. Chris Christie famously derided residents of our area as “Communists from Montclair.” If you’re the least bit left leaning (with a sense of humor), you’ll love the “Last Supper,” a musical farce playing at SOPAC until August 7.
The plot centers around five liberal-minded grad students, living in a conservative part of the country, who try to understand their neighbors by inviting them to dinner. Things don’t go as planned.
The performance starts off on a high note with the dinner hosts singing “Tonight We Save the World” a funny ode to their idealistic mindset.
The strength of this musical is the cast. Megan Kane and Pomme Koch play Paulie and Mark, a young couple committed to their values but also struggling through trauma. Kane and Koch weave bombast and vulnerability into their characters.
One of my favorite characters was the sassy, mid-riff bearing Jude (Alex Newell). Hilarious wise cracks aside, Newell show us there’s more to Jude than wit.
Wesley Zurick plays the nebbishy Pete. A law student who can’t make up his mind but has a knack for getting the most out of his garden.
Charlotte d’Amboise is stunning as the sharp and prickly conservative TV host Naomi Day, who taunts the audience throughout the production and finishes with a leggy crescendo.
Mark Evans steals the show playing the many dinner guests who visit the grad students. He plays each role with a physical comedy verve of a young Jim Carrey.
The Last Supper was originally a 1995 film by Sony starring Annabeth Gish, Cameron Diaz and Ron Perlman.
The minds behind this production have an impressive pedigree. It’s directed by Tony nominee Sheryl Kaller (Mothers and Sons, Last Fall) and choreographed by Lorin Latarro (Into the Woods, Waitress, Mrs. Doubtfire). The Last Supper was produced by two-time Tony Award winner Howard Kagan (Porgy and Bess, Pippin, On The Town, The Great Comet) and co-produced by Stephen Schnall, Matt Cooper and David Cooper.
Have a good laugh at the Last Supper, on stage until August 7. The performance is 100 minutes (no intermission). For more information visit SOPAC. Buy tickets here.
