An 80's Show Review

Sometimes even the jobs you love feel like work. Here's a review from the latest performance I've been doing with Daddy D productions:

Parts of Daddy D Productions' latest original show — songs and stuff from the 1980s — are a whole lot of fun:

A nerd and a gonzo guy get in a rapture about heading out on spring break, and out comes the Beach Boys' wonderful "Kokomo." The nerd (Shawn Connelly) "dances" in a hilarious rhythm, while the frizzy-haired gonzo guy (troupe leader Darren Johnson) grooves on his own.

The Sweeney Sisters return to their alma mater to entertain 10 years later (lying by 10 years) and do loopy, giddy send-ups of "We Are the World," "Maneater" and more. Anna Snyder and Shelley Emmer romp, with Emmer soaring as a comedienne.

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" flashes extra talents as Connelly sings and Laura Asma lets fly on the fiddle.

Because people want him to, Johnson tosses in a song with meat for his remarkable voice, and he digs into "If I Could Just Hold You Again."

The band — Jeff Hinnendael, drums; Ryan Sette, guitar; Adam Bunn, bass; and Dr. Stephen Asma, keyboards — spans the pop tunes nicely and is featured in such instrumentals as the creamy theme from the movie "Chariots of Fire."

It must be said that a lot of the '80s hits that are in this show, while catchy on the surface, are paper-thin and repetitive, not giving the performer much to do theatrically. It's not that the songs aren't likable, but they leave you wanting something more.

Multimedia bits include flashes of MTV, the full "Thriller" at intermission and a look at the cast in the '80s ranging from a photo of Johnson in a tux for a prom to nothing for Connelly, who says he probably was being nursed.

Pick an era, and Daddy D is entertaining.

-Warren Gerds, Green Bay Press Gazette