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Shed No Tears for 'Cry-Baby'

By Matt Windman | amNY theater critic

5:45 PM EDT, April 24, 2008

The John Waters film based musical, 'Cry-Baby,' takes place in 1954 Baltimore, with James Snyder (the "bad guy", Cry-Baby, in red shirt) romancing Elizabeth Stanley ("good girl", Allison, behind him). (Ari Mintz/Newsday)

Stars As of 8pm, we had high hopes for "Cry-Baby." In the overture, the band sang to the crowd to shut its cellphones off. But when we heard the awful lyric "It's a beautiful day for an anti-polio picnic" at 8:02 pm, we got worried. By 10 pm it was official: "Cry-Baby" had completely failed to knock our bobby socks off.

Based on John Waters' cult film starring Johnny Depp and Ricki Lake, the musical follows the exploits of Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker, a "bad boy with a good heart" and rumored communist who falls for a "good girl who wants to be bad." It will inevitably be compared with "Hairspray," also based on a Waters film, and "Grease," another musical satirizing 1950s conformity.

While "Hairspray" kept the film's plot intact, it was stylistically refashioned as a family-friendly, mainstream musical. "Cry-Baby," however, tries to retain the film's dirty spirit, bizarre theatrics, dry irony and theme of class conflict.

Its musical score tries to credibly recreate the earthy style of early 1950s rock and blues and the cleanliness of barbershop quartets. In Cry-Baby's first solo song, he merely chants the word "baby" over and over for three straight minutes.

But in spite of its rude sentiment, sharp lyrics and technicolor costuming, "Cry-Baby" remains an undercooked, irritating spoof. It suffers from second-rate direction, forgettable songs, and a terrible book that overflows with exposition.

James Synder, in the title role, is horribly miscast and totally devoid of charm. In fact, every actor playing a 16-year-old looks at least a decade too old. Harriet Harris, in a supporting grandmother role, suffers from bad jokes and dull ballads. And while Alli Mauzey and Christopher Hanke try their best to provide gross, outlandish comedy, their efforts get lost in the mess.

But there is a saving grace for "Cry-Baby": Rob Ashford's inventive, jaw-dropping dance choreography. In the Act Two showstopper "Jailyard Jubilee," the male inmates move from calisthenics and pushups to tap dancing on license plates.

Marquis Theater, 1535 Broadway, 212-307-4100, $35-120. Mon-Tues 8pm, Wed 2 & 8pm. Thurs-Fri 8pm, Sat 2 & 8pm. Open Run.