With the world in so much turmoil right now, we’re all in need of a little reprieve. Cue new off Broadway musical, Chick Flick. The Chick Flick musical premiered last Thursday and in a time of constant chaos, it’s a night of unadulterated fun celebrating some of life’s simplest pleasures. Friendship, food, and film, specifically, romantic comedies.
The set features shadowed images of all our favorite, beloved romantic comedies. Everything from Titanic to Hope Floats, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Moonstruck, and many more. It begins with four very different close friends (a la Sex and the City) congregating for a ubiquitously known evening; girls night in.
This particular evening won’t solely focus on the film they’ve picked. That’s because Chick Flick is as much about the women watching as it is about romantic comedies themselves. They’ve gotten together for movie night, yet under the surface each one is dealing with her own existential crisis.
Sheila, the bubbly Carrie-esque red head is a bad serial dater. After hearing her date’s last name (which rhymes with her first) she begins prematurely complaining to him about her presumed, awful married name. This purposely mimics a bit from 1998 romantic comedy, The Wedding Singer. If you know it, you’re already a step ahead and the perfect audience for Chick Flick.
Dawn is a Samantha style wanna be actress. She sells Avon style makeup on the side but dreams of making it big. Her bestie, and the hostess Karen is the most put together. She’s married, wealthy and seemingly living the high life. Quietly however, she feels unfulfilled and dreams of accomplishing other goals.
Lastly, there’s Meg. She’s the comfiest of the group, (quite literally) in oversized, soft looking overalls. She makes a tremendous cronut, but her life’s upended when she discovers her boyfriend’s infidelity. Though defeated, her aspirations lie in baking, and babies, and her solo number, Eat your Feelings is a standout of the show.
Throughout the night the women attempt to watch a romantic comedy but it becomes clear the issues and problems of each one will hold way more significance this evening.
Chick Flick is about what happens when a group of friends get together to share stories, face truths, drink wine, and ultimately celebrate friendship. All set to the backdrop of a deep love for romantic comedies.
In all honesty, I was a tad concerned about the cheesiness factor at first. Ten minutes in, I was proved wrong, pleasantly surprised at how heart warming and really funny it turned out to be.
One of the best things about the Chick Flick musical is that it’s mostly in on the joke, especially when copying or referencing a beloved film.
During epilogues we learn of all the women’s fates. Sheila, Karen, Meg, and Dawn’s lives all drastically change for the better, in only three minutes of course. Exactly like all our favorite romantic comedies.
They also play a drinking game based on identifying movie quotes shouted by the ladies. It’s not audience participation but I found myself accidentally shouting out a few answers.
You don’t need to be a romantic comedy expert to enjoy Chick Flick. But if you can identify ‘Big Mistake, Huge’, ‘Snap out of it’, or ‘You had me at Hello’, your chances of having fun (and maybe belting out some titles like me) increases heavily.
The Chick Flick musical is currently playing at the Westside Theater, NYC.
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