There’s one main incentive to see Full House The Musical and that’s Perez Hilton. After talking to him in June, I was excited to see him on stage at the Randolph Theatre.
“I wear high-waisted jeans and I want you to meet my unconventional family,” Perez sings, as Danny Tanner, introducing the show. The cast activates the hug zone in the opening number when they joyously approach audience members in the first few rows. If you fall in love with the characters, then it’s not as weird as it sounds.
This play is raunchy and its 14+ rating is not a joke. To provide a mild example, Becky (Bridget Russell Kennedy) says that due to her peanut allergy, peanuts give her herpes. In some instances, they make inappropriate remarks, such as about Anne Frank, but other times the humour is more light-hearted and clean. A few minutes later, Jesse sings about traditions at Greek weddings and he says, “The bride wears the finest tablecloth.”
Compared to other musicals, the show has minimal dancing. My favourite dancing moment is when ABBA’s Dancing Queen plays in the background and Danny, Joey (Seth Blum) and Jesse (John Duff) proclaim “there’s no gays in San Francisco.”
Without hesitation, the characters are quick to poke fun at the TV show’s network ABC. When the family discusses where to go on a family vacation and someone suggests Universal Studios, DJ (Amanda Nicholas) says, “That’s not owned by our parent company.” The political economy of media is certainly full of material for parodies like Full House The Musical, but you may not find it funny if you’re a Disney fan.
The most satirical scene involves Michelle’s alter ego Mary-Kate and Ashley (Marshall Louise) who comes out wearing an oversized hobo chic outfit that effectively imitates the Olsen twins’ style. Marshall might be the youngest cast member, but she manages to steal the spotlight from Perez in the second act.
It’s a relief that you can instantly revisit the show’s characters on Netflix because after seeing the 2-hour long musical, you won’t be sick of the Tanner family’s silly antics.