The Nutty Professor at HCT

Other than one of the best versions of Fiddler on the Roof that I've ever seen, I haven't been very impressed with the shows at HCT this season. Happily, that changed with their production of the new musical The Nutty Professor, which I was able to see last night, because it is so much fun! I don't know what I loved more: the story, the performances, the choreography, the costumes, the sets, or the projections! Julius Kelp (Spencer Jackson Hohl) is a nerdy and socially awkward chemistry professor at Korwin College who is often reprimanded by the dean, Dr. Warfield (BJ Whimpey), for blowing up his lab. He befriends Stella Purdy (Bre Welch), a new adjunct professor, but when he is humiliated by the star football players (Eric Ascione and Even McKay Naef), he decides that he must make some changes in order to impress her. He creates a serum that transforms him into the handsome and charismatic, but narcissistic, Buddy Love and soon the entire studentbody, including Stella, is under his spell. However, when Stella sees that Buddy is having a negative influence on the students, she realizes that it is Julius who she truly loves! This is a delightful and entertaining show and I love the message that it is always better to be yourself. Hohl is absolutely hilarious as Julius/Buddy because he is so good at the physical comedy! A scene where the serum wears off and he keeps transforming from Buddy to Julius and back again at inopportune times, with just a change in posture and facial expression, had me laughing out loud. He is also incredibly charming in all of the scenes with the students and it is entirely believable that Buddy could have them all swooning over him (I think Hohl may have actually taken the serum because all of the girls around me were swooning over him, too!). Welch has a beautiful voice and I especially loved her performances of "Too Much for Me" and "While I Still Have the Time." Everyone in the ensemble is insanely talented but I have to give a shoutout to Phil Lewis for the epic baton twirling! The choreography by Afton Wilson is amazing and it is worth the price of admission just to see all of the dazzling song and dance numbers. My favorites were "Dance to My Own Drummer," "(Hey Is It Me Or) Is It Hot in Here," "Buddy's Place" (especially when Julius suddenly appears and starts dancing awkwardly and then all of the students mimic him), "Everything You've Ever Learned is Wrong," and "Step Out of Your Shell" (the ballroom dancing is lovely). All of Joy Zhu's costumes are incredible (I was impressed by the sheer number of them) but I really loved the purple sequined suit worn by Buddy the first time he appears and all of the purple and yellow uniforms worn by the Korwin College cheerleaders, football players, and marching band (probably because they are the same colors as my college alma mater). I always love the sets at HCT and this one is no exception! The attention to detail in Julius' laboratory (I loved all of the neon potions in the beakers) is fabulous! Finally, the projections featuring atoms and the periodic table on the LED screens around the theater and on the stage are very amusing! I really cannot say enough about every aspect of this production and I highly recommend that you do not miss it! It runs on the Young Living Centre Stage through August 17 and tickets may be purchased here (but act quickly because many shows are sold out).

Note:  I saw Bre Welch last night in this show and her husband Addison the night before in Kiss Me Kate!