'Desperate,' But Not Serious

The minute I read about the musical/stage adaptation of "Desperately Seeking Susan," I knew it had disaster written all over it. The addition of Blondie music, something you might think would endear me to the project, only enhanced my feeling of dread. The whole thing just reeked of, well, desperation. It was no surprise that the show closed after just one month on London’s West End. What is surprising, however, is that its writer/director is able to laugh at what a colossal disaster it was, and has written a fun-sounding new show about it!

From the official release:

In 2007, American playwright Peter Michael Marino wrote a musical based on the film “Desperately Seeking Susan” featuring the music of Blondie. It opened on London’s West End ... and closed a month later. DESPERATELY SEEKING THE EXIT offers a behind-the-scenes peek at how this £4 million musical was made and unmade: hatching the idea, deals with MGM, Debbie Harry and even Madonna; the workshops, the previews, the scathing reviews and the closing night. Once you’re in, there’s no way out!

Five years later, Marino is ready to look back with DESPERATELY SEEKING THE EXIT (an actual Telegraph headline at the time), a comic autopsy on his $6 million musical fiasco. Directed by Obie Award winner John Clancy, performances of this solo tell-all comedy begin May 3 at the Triple Crown Underground in New York. The U.S. premiere will be followed by the U.K. premiere at Manchester, England's Taurus Bar (presented by Vertigo Productions) and a run at the 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

I had no desire to see the musical -- they even gave it a-go in Tokyo, where they love everything! -- but I'd drive from Fort Lee to Manhattan for this one.

For details, click HERE.

The moral of the story, of course, is don't mess with a classic. Check out this rare footage and interview with Madonna on the set back in '85 here. (Did she really write several other songs for various scenes and a "title" track?) Swoon!