On & Off Broadway

‘Ruthless! The Musical’

Review by Elyse Trevers

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You know how you cringe when people scrape their nails on a blackboard? That’s how I felt watching the Off-Broadway show, “Ruthless! The Musical.” The show is a satire with references to “Gypsy,” “The Bad Seed” and “All About Eve.” The humor is sarcastic and biting if you know the stories. However, some of the original material is obscure, notably The Bad Seed, a 1954 novel by William March. In the book, a young, seemingly angelic girl kills to get what she wants. Her mother does research and realizes that the crimes are the work of a serial killer and decides that murder is in the girl’s genetic makeup. What makes it even worse is that young Tina has theater in her genes and will do anything to get a part.

The show is very campy. Paul Pecorino, with a Cruella DeVille striped wig and overly exaggerated gestures, plays Sylvia St. Croix. Striking melodramatic poses, “she’s” a flamboyant agent who wants to represent Tina (Tori Murray). Both Murray and Pecorino seem to be shouting most of the time.

Rita McKenzie is Lita Encore, the theater critic who sings the one cute number in the show, “I Hate Musicals.” She sounds like Ethel Merman in her later years when her vibrato went on forever. “You want to create a sensation, use a Hollywood star and amplification.” The best performer is Kim Maresca who refers to herself merely as Tina’s mother until she learns that she, too, has talent in her genes.


The show is staged in the small St. Luke’s Theatre and has the feel of a high school production. The music is unremarkable and the show has several bad puns. There are gibes directed at theater and show business. The show was originally written for an ‘all-female’ cast, and the one male character is Tina’s father. The running joke is that he never appears (if he exists at all.)

The show originally opened in March 13, 1992, and closed January 24, 1993, after 342 performances and winning several Off-Broadway awards. It’s often performed in regional theatre, yet this version left me unimpressed.

The family in front of me brought three small children to the show, undoubtedly attracted by a young performer. Once the language and action got a bit dicey, I watched them squirm; yet the parents seemed determined to stick it out. At least they could have left if they wanted to; sadly I had no choice.