Pest Control - The Musical
For sure, I am not a lover of bugs, insects of any kind, and I have to admit I didn’t know what to expect from a musical entitled Pest Control playing at the NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood. To my delight, I found it very entertaining and was enchanted by the plethora of talent both in the production as well as those behind the scenes. Inspired by a best-selling novel by Bill Fitzhugh, Pest Control was written by John Moores, directed and choreographed by James J. Mellon.
It’s not the story itself that is so enticing, but the performers, Mellon’s direction and choreography, and the pace throughout the entire show. Bob Dillon (Darren Ritchie) is an exterminator in New York City. The use of that word can have different meanings for different folks, and the New York criminal world mistakes him for an exterminator of a different type. So does the CIA, and they try to hire him to be a hit man to kill the most dangerous man in the world. Bob tries to explain that he is an insect exterminator, but he isn’t believed, not by the underground nor the CIA. And in order to keep the girl he loves (Parker played by Meth Malone), a member of the CIA, from having to do the life threatening job, he accepts the mission even though he may get killed. Naturally, all’s well that ends well, and Bob becomes everyone’s hero of the day.
Other cast members include Joanna Glushak, John Allsopp, Dana Meller, Jay Willick, Cleavant Derricks, Paul Denniston, Alex Robert Holmes, Karesa McElheny, Jonathan Zenz, Janet Fontaine, Sabrina Miller, Megan S. Densmore, J.R. Mangels and Billie Puyear. The music was written by Vladamir Shainskiy, lyrics by Scott DeTurk, not memorable, but certainly an added compliment to the production and all sung by wonderful voices. The costume designs by Scott A. Lane and lighting design by Luke Moyer also aid in creating this world of fantasy.
NoHo Arts Center
11136 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA
Plays through June 8, 2008