The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse

  By Joseph Cervelli

When the large canvas (set design by Stephanie Osin Cohen) comes down at the well acted but mostly juvenile new pop musical "The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse" at The Pershing Square Signature Center, I could recognize Paris Hilton but for a moment or two did not make the connection between the other two namely, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. They were more infamous than, perhaps, famous and the New York Post really tore into them naming them "Three Bimbos of the Apocalypse" about 20 or so years ago. In this new show designed for the Gen Z audience (a lot of the comments and dialogue I must admit went over my head) we meet teen detective Brainworm (apparently "worm" means something to the younger members in the audience.)  She is a YouTuber sleuth whose job is to try to find "missing girls." Brainworm is played by a wonderful Milly Shapiro whose character is agraphobic though she does venture out after four years in her apartment where she has her internet program to find the missing young woman Coco. 

This Coco (joyously played by Keri Rene Fuller)  is a not very well known pop artist but Brainworm notices the bracelet with her name printed on it. Apparently she has died right after the photo was taken. And there is also a still photo of Coco with her insane mother (think the mother of Carrie from the film here played by the always excellent Sara Gettelfinger) and some unknown person Kiki (Natalie Walker). 

There are two other "worms" in the show namely the flamboyantly gay Earworm (Luke Islam) and the supposedly straight Bookworm (Patrick Nathan Falk.) While both actors are fine they really are not given much to do and basically act as backgrouind singer/dancers. It takes a while to figure out not that they also are YouTubers but from different parts of the country. 

Things get more incoherent when Brainworm finally meets up with Coco who apparently has been kidnapped by her mother telling her daughter the world is coming to an end. But then later on Coco makes a comeback in appropriately garish costumes by Cole McCarty without much of an explanation except for the help of Brainworm. For some bizarre reason she is suddenly surrounded by her mother (when did the mother suddenly become part of her world?) and Kiki (you will find out who she really is.)

Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley are responsible for the book, music and lyrics. While the book is a mess and, at times, you almost give up on trying to follow it their score is tuneful and not as loud as you would think. Yet, it was not always easy to understand the lyrics. 

Jack Ferver is responsible for the energetic choreography along with Olivia Palacios who provided additional choreography and Rory Pelsue both directed and developed it. I wished he had paid more atttention to individual scenes making them coalesce into a flowing narrative. It appears to be linear in a non linear format.

But the young audience was having a most enjoyable time and with some work it could have been a lot better. You most certainly will not be bored!

Photos: Monique Carboni

Tickets are available at the Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street. For theater schedule and tickets please go to: thenewgroup.org.