Rogers: The Musical Review
Rogers: The Musical Review
By Kevin Hoskinson
Entertainment Editor
Conceived initially as a joke and pitched to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige as such, Rogers: The Musical is something of a tiny miracle. Premiering as a gag in the Disney+ series Hawkeye, it was meant to remain just that, a fleeting and funny moment in MCU history. But when you get veterans like composer Marc Shaiman and lyricist Scott Whittman (along with a rabid fanbase) in the mix, it is bound to become something much more. Since the musical number “Save The City” was used as the end credit scene for the series, it quickly became one of the most memorable and hilarious moments in the history of Marvel Studios.
Many people were also left wondering if it would become a full-blown musical, with many fans agreeing that if they kept the “so bad it’s good” vibe, it would work. While that never came to fruition, what we ended up getting might even be better than an entire show. For a limited time at Disney’s California Adventure, a live one-act version of Rogers: The Musical is playing at the Hyperion Theater. I had the opportunity to check it out before the curtains closed for good (or so they say!).
Rogers: The Musical runs for about 30 minutes, which feels like the perfect length. It’s not a complete history of Steve Rogers and his rise to becoming The First Avenger, but rather a series of moments that make him the hero that he becomes. It covers everything from meeting Peggy Carter and receiving the Super Soldier Serum to the Battle of New York and his returning the stones after the fight against Thanos. The action is contained to short exposition scenes through song and stage design rather than epic fight scenes and everything becoming a battlefield. In the end, it’s not even about the action, though. It’s a story about a man out of time and everything he left behind and found along the way.
The show opens with The Starkettes, who start the show with the fantastic number, “U-S-Opening Night.” It’s a song that frames the whole show and perfectly sets the time and place. They also act as the Greek Chorus for the entire affair, narrating the story and adding plenty of humor to the proceedings. We are then treated to a song by Steve himself, an I Want song called “I Want You,” about his dreams to enlist in the Army. Nick Fury gets a song called “What You Missed,” which is a highlight of the show. The real emotion hits when “Just One Dance” is performed, a song about the lost romance between Steve and Peggy. As well as these, we get the aforementioned “Save The City,” which features all of The Avengers after the battle of New York, and it will have you roaring with laughter.
In many ways, it feels less like a theme park attraction and more like a Broadway show. The performers are incredible, playing everything with so much heart and soul. Even though it is hilarious and pokes fun at The MCU, it takes itself very seriously and has a surprising amount of emotion at its core. Although its condensed run time makes it seem a bit rushed at times, the experience was never affected by that. It was a great time at the theater and a blast from start to finish!
Rating: 4.5 Pastrami Nations out of 5.
