For the Brady Kids it’s a beautiful morning and it’s gonna be a beautiful day.  And why not?  It’s 1974, they’re movin’ and groovin’ all through the night, and The Partridge Family is getting hot under the collar as the Bradys tread on their turf — a sure sign that they’re worthy competitors.  But in seventies sitcom land one does not simply unseat the royals.  Tracy Partridge, get your triangle … there’s gonna be a musical throw down.

Brady Kids of THE BARDY BUNCH [photo by Katie Settel]

Welcome to The Bardy Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady, and if you’ve been here before – welcome back!  In 2011 playwright Stephen Garvey showed Fringe audiences what happens when you take a little bit of The Brady Bunch canon, A little bit of The Partridge Family canon, and handfuls from the Shakespeare buffet and shake them all up together.  The result is one giant molded-salad of puns, quotes and interlocking story lines all set against a vivid avocado and burnt orange background.   “This is one show I wish I could go back and see again,” I’d said in my 2011 Fringe review and now, thanks to the good sense of the theatre gods, my wish came true.

In the hands of Garvey The Bardy Bunch is musical comedy genius, and watching this reboot now playing at the Theatre at St. Clements was like settling in to watch a re-run of a beloved show. There was a rush of familiarity coupled with a tingle of expectation at what I’d remember.  I was also excited to see some new scenes added in that only made the show better.

Choreographer Lorna Ventura once again sets up the show with a powerhouse number of both nostalgic and new moves.  Ventura faithfully recreates the Bradys’ iconic twirls as they fly down the road in their makeshift Model T A – so familiar that you are doing the moves along side them in your head. But then quick as a wink the Partridge kids bear down and Ventura swirls the warring kids up in a West-Side-Story rumble that ignited the audience and set the pace for the entire night.

From here on in it’s Brady verses Partridge at every turn with shades of Macbeth, Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet ringing the big bells with a few other Shakespearean references tinkling throughout.  You’ll be tickled regardless of  how extensive your knowledge of the Bard’s body of work.  And rest assured, in case you miss a reference there’s bound to be a show-off  in the audience ready to point it out by laughing loudly at an allusion you might have missed.  That’s okay – there’s plenty of fun to go around and everyone’s there to have a good time.

Director Jay Stern (who also directed Bardy at Fringe 2011)  knows the material well – pulling just the right moments of silliness and fun to warm the fans of the corny TV shows while still understanding when to control the effect of the Shakespearean references in order to have them hit their mark. Stern’s balanced hand ensures that Bardy is a delicate melange rather than a chaotic jumble – something that easily could have happened in the hands of a less perceptive director.  This is most evident when Stern succeeds in making a brutal bloodbath work as it plays out behind a crooning love song – no small feat, but just what the Bard ordered.

The cast is effervescent and fresh – despite simultaneously being spot-on in their retro interpretation.  Shag haircuts and far-out clothes can’t disguise the dynamic exuberance they bring to every number.  With several alums from the original Fringe cast it’s obvious that this show is as fun to perform as it is to watch.  All involved – from Brady Kids to Partridge Family and even Rubin and Alice come together in big numbers like the showstopping “(You’ve Got The)Sunshine In Your Hands/Think I’ll Go For A Walk Outside” arranged by musical director Logan Medland.  Moments like this one – and there were many – had the audience clapping along exuberantly and whooping at the end of the number.

Partridge Kids of THE BARDY BUNCH [photo by Katie Settel]

The entire show is written with a wink to the audience, both a love letter to the shows of childhood as well as a lampooning of the hackneyed, rehashed plots favored by both shows.  But as the Bard himself said in “As You Like It”  - ”I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it”.   Corny?  Yes.  Sappy?  Definitely.  But we like that mid-century modern place that Mr. Brady designed.  We like that Mondrian-painted bus that Mrs. Partridge drove around.  We willingly waste our time in the corridor of 1970s land where Marcia is lovely, Keith Partridge is dreamy, and everything is groovy on a daily basis.  If you didn’t have the chance to spend some time with this bunch a few years ago … now is the time to catch it and willingly waste some time of your own.  You’ll be glad  you did.

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The Bardy Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady

Written by Stephen Garvey
Directed by Jay Stern

March 20-April 13, 2014

Theatre at St. Clements
423 West 46th Street
New York, NY 10036

CLICK HERE for tickets

Related Posts:

• The Bardy Bunch: The War Of The Families Partridge And Brady (Fringe Festival 2011)
• It’s A Sunshine Day For Stephen Garvey, Writer Of “The Bardy Bunch”
• Macbeth, Aquila Theatre; Macbeth, Epic Theatre Ensemble
• The Knocking Within: 4 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (Times Square International Theater Festival 2012)
• Something Wicked (2014 Frigid New York Festival)

Here’s the story … of The Bardy Bunch: The War Of The Families Partridge And Brady.

It’s 1974 and two families, one Brady, one Partridge are at war.  Their battlefield exists in cancelled sit-com land and their weapons consist of killer dance moves, cut throat ballads and production numbers meant to slay you in the aisles.  Their story is a mash up of well-known Partridge and Brady references retrofitted into such Shakespearean plays as Hamlet, MacBeth, Romeo and Juliet, among others.

The result is everything Fringe has come to be celebrated for: an innovative, enjoyable, hilarious night of theatre written by Stephen Garvey and directed by Jay Stern that isn’t afraid to push the envelope.

Whether you’re a 70s sitcom fan or a passionate follower of the bard, all your favorites are here – beginning with the Brady kids decked out in their all-too-familiar blue and white matching outfits as they sing “We’re gonna keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on dancing all through the night!” The choreography by Lorna Ventura is spot on – something you only realize you know as you actually watch it happen in front of you.  Ahhh, memories.

But it doesn’t all belong to the kids – when Carol Brady (Susan J. Jacks) arrives on the scene she sound so much like Florence Henderson that I heard murmurs in the audience … and same for Shirley Partridge (Michelle Mazza).  So when shades of Lady MacBeth emerge in Carol while her eldest daughter Marcia is being the Juliet to Keith Partridge’s Romeo it all makes perfect sense.

What delights so thoroughly is how faithful each character remains to their Brady/Partridge origins while faithfully moving the Shakespearean plots along.  This story was just waiting to be done.  Thanks to the fantastic team of Garvey and Stern it has now been done perfectly.

The jokes are appropriately corny and garner good-natured groans from the audience. (I’d love to repeat some of them but would hate to spoil the punch of hearing them for the first time).   This show is having a laugh at its own expense and that’s the fun of it.

But don’t expect a simple comedy.  A surprisingly touching song by Jan Brady (Annie Watkins) wearing a Hawaiian lei while sitting on a dunk tank may seem the last thing you’d expect to tug at your heart, but the scene channeling Ophelia was perfectly done, and brought a note of bittersweetness to the play  — before the laughter reappeared.

Music by Logan Medland, arranged by Zach Abramson is spot on, and standouts which bring the entire cast together include “I Woke Up In Love This Morning”.  There’s very little here to complain about, and even at the point where you’re thinking “wait … what’s going on?” there’s a hilarious exposition scene that recaps everything up until that point.  Brilliant.

This is one Fringe show I wish I could go back and see again.  Tomorrow’s show is already sold out so get tickets while you can – you won’t be disappointed!

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The Bardy Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady
Writer: Stephen Garvey, inspired by “The Brady Bunch,” “The Partridge Family,” and the works of William Shakespeare
Director: Jay Stern
1h 40m  
www.thebardybunch.com
VENUE #9: The Ellen Stewart Theatre @ LA MAMA
Fri 19 @ 9 SOLD OUT
Sun 21 @ 8:45 Wed 24 @ 2

Related Posts:

• The Bardy Bunch – Keep On Singing And Dancing All Through The Night
• It’s A Sunshine Day For Stephen Garvey, Writer Of “The Bardy Bunch”
• Something Wicked (2014 Frigid New York Festival)
• Drowning Ophelia: She Gets On Swimmingly (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Drowning Ophelia: A New Rock Musical – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)