Like most human beings, I have days where I am not feeling well. Friday, was one of those days. A long day at work, exhausted from a trying week, and feeling miserable. I entered the Smith Theatre that evening and sat down with my wife to see the latest offering by O’Connell & Company, Starkids’ original work “Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier.” I took a few nights to gather my thoughts, because I didn’t think it would be fair to review it with an exhausted mind. I thought about what I saw Friday evening on stage. I considered the direction, the artistic choices, and I did a little research on the writing troupe that penned this piece. I love absurd theatre, and I love to laugh, but upon further thought, this show just didn’t do it for me. That’s not to say that O’Connell & Company didn’t do a fine job producing it, the show just wasn’t. . .memorable. 

“Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier” is the Aladdin story that we know and love, told to us from the perspective of Ja’far. I am typically a fan of these alternate takes on fairy tales, but this show was just. . .comedy aimed at the lowest common denominator. Lots of adult themes, language, and butt jokes. While I do love a good butt joke, I felt like the script – written by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Eric Kahn Gale – took the idea of what could be really hilarious, and said, ‘rewrite this? Why bother?” There are a few clever lines here and there, and the lyrics by Kaley McMahon to A.J. Holmes’ music are fine, but there is not a single song you come out of the theater humming. Not a single joke that stood out to me that I could talk about at lunch. I’m saddened because the premise is so grand.

Drew McCabe leads this zany cast of characters as director of this piece. This show did well in the small black box theater at Shea’s Smith. The intimate setting is perfect for this nonsensical story that would be lost in a larger venue. I am a fan of McCabe’s use of projections instead of a set, and use of props when needed. It was a simple direction but it was effective.

Nick Lama leads this show as Ja’Far. He is a force to be reckoned with and carries this show the entire way through. His vocal prowess is inspiring, and he manages to give his one-dimensionally written character, heart, charisma, comedic chops, and authenticity. Lama does a wonderful job in this show.

David Wysocki looks to be having a ball on stage as Aladdin. His facial expressions really bring his character to life and his voice does the character great justice.

Amanda Funiciello’s Jasmine is wonderfully executed. Again, there isn’t much to work with in this script, but Funiciello works with what she’s given and she is a crowd favorite.

Michael Flanagan is the funniest ensemble member in this piece. His characters were the best written, and he did a fantastic job making each one of his entrances, exits, and stage time count. I perked up each time he entered the stage. His comedic timing is impeccable. 

While this show is running in a small venue, the company decided on the use of microphones. Microphones tend to bring with them various problems, such as modulation, not amplifying correctly, peaking, or causing feedback. Hopefully these were just opening night bugs that will be addressed. I was sitting in the front row, and I had a hard time hearing the music while the actors were singing. Again, I am sure the tech crew is working on this.

One pet peeve I have are shows that do not use live musicians in their show. Without live music, it’s not a true musical. Sadly, this show worked with a backing track, and while it wasn’t distracting, as a musician my heart broke. Bring back live musicians.

As I said earlier, this show wasn’t my cup of tea, but it has some merits, especially from the cast and crew – they have no say on what is in the script. If you want a laugh at a few good butt-jokes, I’d say – go see this show.

Running Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes with a 15-minute intermission.

Advisory: Adult language and themes.

“Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier” is produced by O’Connell & Company and is presented at Shea’s Smith Theater until September 22. For more information, click here.