Broadway-backed musical parody set to premiere in Toronto

A Broadway-backed musical paying homage to campy holiday TV specials is coming to Toronto.

The Unauthorized Hallmark(ish) Parody Musical wears its intentions on its sleeve as a love letter to the greatest guilty (or earnest) pleasures of the holiday season: the abundance of direct-to-TV holiday movies, often produced by one noteworthy production company. 

From director Tim Drucker, known for stage parodies and live productions of Trixie & Katya (RuPaul’s Drag Race alum and two of the world’s top drag performers) and Tony-winning co-writer Bonnie Milligan, The Unauthorized Hallmark(ish) Parody Musical is built on a foundation of sappy dialogue and a lot of seasonal set dressing.

“Bonnie and I watch every single holiday TV movie as they come out — it’s kind of our thing,” Drucker told yourcitywithIN.com. “Come every November, we just turn our brains off and just delve into this world… So, when the producers came forward and pitched the idea of more or less parroting these movies on stage, we told them, ‘You don’t understand, this is exactly our thing.’ It’s essentially our Roman Empire.”

As a byproduct of this maximum intake of televised schlock, Drucker and Milligan quickly got to work.

They brought on the talents of Broadway composer Joel Waggoner for music, and Toronto-based actors Sean Meldrum, who plays “Mark Hall,” and Aleandra Clementi, who plays “Holly,” for not just a parody, but what, according to Drucker, is easily a production that can stand on its own legs.

“It’s so easy to find the sincerity in this as a performer, because the music is so incredible and genuine,” Clementi told yourcitywithIN.com. “The biggest challenge at this point has been to get through rehearsals and lock in, because the whole thing is just so funny.”

Drucker states that this kitschy take on holiday specials is not born of snark but aims to celebrate how they have become synonymous with the festive season for the last several decades.

“There’s a comfort factor with these movies, like maybe you can’t make it home for the holidays, something that is usually a major part of the plot in them. So, in terms of sensations, there is a kind of sadness that can be explored with them,” says Drucker.

Using this as a North Star for production, both performances, music and plot go for an earnest take on holiday cheer, instead of winking directly at the audience.

At the same time, Drucker insists that tropes still get flipped on their head, with villains and sidekicks getting their own time to shine, while Clementi’s take on a traditional female lead is given a lot more to do, as opposed to batting her eyes at a tall co-star in flannel.

“It lulls the audience in with being a satirical comedy, and then, it just hits you over the head with a story so good it makes you genuinely care about these characters,” says Clementi.

As for Meldrum, who is playing the leading man, diving into the role promised its own interesting set of challenges, as he has already dipped his toe in the world of holiday TV specials.

“When I first got the contract, I wasn’t sure what to think, because I’ve worked on made-for-TV holiday movies before. So I was curious as to how aggressive it was going to be towards the genre, in essence, what kind of shots we were going to take. Turns out, it’s not like that at all, and it’s more like we are just making our own version of this story,” Meldrum told yourcitywithIN.com.

Meldrum continues to liken The Unauthorized Hallmark(ish) Parody Musical to films such as The Naked Gun or Airplane, which are entrenched in pop culture as classics that went far above the material they were poking fun at.

“It’s an affectionate take on this genre, I mean, I’ve worked with people who have made these movies, and even they know they are not reinventing cinema — and I guess that’s the whole point — knowing the assignment,” says Meldrum.

As for what the audience can expect, Drucker has stated that just because it is a parody does not mean it’s second-rate, as historically those two concepts have risked being synonymous.

Instead, given the talent backing it, he states that audiences can anticipate a production rivalling those found in New York’s theatre circuit.

“I think people can run the risk of thinking that this may be a bloated SNL sketch, or something close. But, this is a fully realized Broadway-scale musical, and it is beyond ambitious — people are going to be surprised.”

The Unauthorized Hallmark(ish) Parody Musical premieres this week in Toronto on Nov. 20 and will be running at the historical Royal Theatre in Little Italy.