If it’s true, as one environmentally conscious character asserts, that noone’s ever written a love song about an economy car, then that goes doublefor the ubiquitous, pernicious Sports Utility Vehicle. This entertainingmusical by Gersh Kuntzman and Marc Dinkin is out to change all that.Beginning with the opening scene inside Behemoth Motor Company—maker of theDeforester, the Defiler and the soon-to-be-unveiled Destroyer, the castrhapsodizes about the soccer-mom monstrosity with songs like “Bigger isBetter” and a wowing set piece “The New Model,” sensationally choreographedby Katie Workum. As activist Max Blank fights to expose Behemoth whilefalling in love, post-collision, with the owner’s wife, the story also makesroom for a rebellious daughter, a shady sheik and a touching subplot ofunrequited love between crash test dummies (who act as the stage crew). Yes,”SUV” grows bulky as its namesake by the end. But withsome quicker pacing and a finer edge (the song “How Did Your Oil Get UnderOur Sand?” is begging for a riff on the Bush-Saud connection), thissatirical baby could be a real clean-burning machine.
SUV: The Musical
By Gersh Kuntzman and Marc Dinkin
The Village Theatre
Sat, Aug 13 at 12:00 p.m.; Mon, Aug 15 at 07:45 p.m.; Fri, Aug 19 at 04:00 p.m.; Wed, Aug 24 at 10:30 p.m.; Sat, Aug 27 at 08:15 p.m.