Out of This World

Cole Porter's once-forgotten musical gets a high energy and fun-loving revival from 42nd Street Moon. The plot revolves around Jupiter, king of the gods, as he enlists the help of his many children to entice a Hollywood star into his arms. Some of the cast members return from the company's original 2000 production, with the heartiest applause coming when Darlene Popovic appears as Juno, the jilted queen of the gods. And for good reason: She effortlessly milks her lines for all their saucy goodness, such as when her strident daughter Diana (Kristin Clippard) declares "Male superiority is a myth!" to which Popovic purrs back, "So are you, dear." Director Greg MacKellan didn't manage to excise all the bumps when he revised the musical for this production – we still spend too much time listening to innocuous but bland songs from the sincere and not nearly so fun mortals in love. But when the lustful gods take to the stage, MacKellan and his cast know how to let it rip — such as when Mercury (Steve Rhyne) is listing the many babes he's bagged, such as one with golden locks, "bright Aurora, and Pandora, who let me open her" — well, you get the idea.