by Lydia Scott. @no.lyd.
NEW YORK, NY - Over the past four months, local beauty school dropout Adam Mess has shifted his focus from scalp treatments and roller sets to the world of musical theatre, labeling himself a Broadway “Mixologist” by crafting an artisanal craft musical hybrid of the hit shows Hair, Hairspray, and Grease into a new show named Pompadour.
“I’ll be completely honest with you," noted Mess while scratching his bald head. “The idea sprouted from an advance purchase of inventory for my hair shop that never got a chance to open. Rather than let everything go to waste, why not style 70+ actors in wigs and make the public pay to see them in what I like to call a ‘musical turducken’?”
Mess has previously toyed with small-batch, thoroughly curated productions, but never something this ambitious. Vivian Chandler, a member of the audience on the first night of previews, shared details about her Pompadour experience.
“Instead of a playbill, I was handed a hair dye catalogue that looked like it was made in Microsoft Paint,” stated Chandler. “An usher spent the 30 minutes prior to the show lecturing me on my ‘split ends'. As for the show itself, I was quite pleased - especially when Tracy, Danny, and Berger broke through White House security to demand that all people have access to affordable hair care products.”
Despite the challenges that this production presents, Georgia McQueen, a Broadway analyst, says the show has the potential to be a viral sensation.
“It sounds crazy, but it just might work,” noted McQueen. “It's not every day that you come upon a singular artwork that addresses body image, race relations, gender stereotypes, pacifism, peer pressure and other significant themes. Plus, it’s like watching three shows for the price of one! Just imagine the future of Broadway hybrids. Phantom and Beetlejuice! Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ Superstar! Hamilton and... Cats?”
At press time, Mess noted that the most difficult challenge was deciding which songs to cut for time. Ultimately, he decided to cut none of them, but rather speed them up, reducing the run time from seven hours to roughly four (with no intermission). The original creators of each musical have declined to comment, claiming that "[the show] speaks for itself" while joining forces in a collaboration of their own: a joint lawsuit.