“Hey, Morgan!” is the brilliantly written comedy-musical about the life of Morgan Farkas, growing up in the affluent Jewish neighborhood of Brentwood, covering her travails from age 13 through the rest of her life.
It opened at the prestigious Black Dahlia Theatre in Los Angeles in October and has been playing to sell-out audiences since then. It has now been extended to mid-December.
The Variety review by Bob Verini read in part as follows (with bolding in the original):
Unveilings are exciting. The mostly unheralded cast and creatives of "Hey, Morgan!," an hour-long song cycle on the life choices of a maiden from "the tony hills of Brentwood," all seem poised to break out and dazzle. Sure, the piece is wispy, but like great meals, major careers always need a distinctive starter. If "Hey, Morgan" is merely a theatrical amuse bouche, that could explain why it's virtually impossible to leave the Black Dahlia without a big grin on your face. …
The score by Matthew Fogel, Isaac Laskin and David Richman more or less follows Jonathan Larson's "Rent" playbook, in which lush melodies express genuine emotion that is suddenly undercut by a stroke of irony or snark. … But even when the sentiments are stock, their musical expression keeps lifting us to a place very like bliss. The sensational pop-rock tunes are rip-snortingly performed by Richman and his other four band members, five if you count onstage guitarist Laskin.
Wit and heart rule the lyrics in equal measure. … And there's no gainsaying the cast's unflagging appeal as they're surefootedly moved around by helmer Matt Shakman and choreographer Courtney Miller Jr. Shapiro and English prove accomplished shape-shifters, while an always-winning Marion subtly suggests the maturing of a decent human being, physically and emotionally, over the course of 50 years.
That human being is deliberately dramatized as nobody special. But if as the show's anthem proclaims, "Whether you're Michelle Obama/Or selling tickets at the Cinerama" we all have a story to tell, then Morgan's is as worthy of the telling as any. And more toe-tapping than most.
The Los Angeles Times review by Kathleen Foley read in part as follows:
Youthful ebullience abounds in “Hey, Morgan!” at the Black Dahlia –- the first musical in that prestigious theater’s history. The show, with music by Matthew Fogel, Isaac Laskin and David Richman and book and lyrics by Fogel and Laskin, is a bubbly divertissement that features lively songs and an endearing cast. …
The bulk of the action concerns Morgan’s quest for love and her eventual marriage. Charming Meagan English and hilarious Adam Shapiro, who scores many of the laughs, play all the other roles, with Laskin functioning as a guitar-strumming singer/narrator.
In his logistically masterful staging, director Matt Shakman attacks his challenging material like Grant took Richmond. “Morgan” is almost entirely sung and musical director Richman, who helms the excellent live band, elicits superlative performances from his game actors. Choreographer Courtney Miller Jr. overcomes the constraints of the Dahlia’s small stage in ingeniously compressed dances … If you’re in the mood for glitzy escapism, consummately rendered, this could be your ticket.
Tickets are here. I’ve seen it (many more times than once). Don’t miss it.