1812
Productions, Philadelphia’s All Comedy Theatre Company, is presenting This
Should NEVER be Musical through September 27, 2026. Artistic Director
Jennifer Childs noted the company is appearing on the Arcadia stage of the
Arden Theatre while celebrating its 30th Anniversary season, the same
stage on which a fledgling 1812 Company began its performances 30 years ago. This
Should NEVER Be a Musical is an improvised reality show. Four “contestants”
react to information provided from audience members prior to the start of the
show. Through a series of musical elimination tasks, including spinning a wheel
to determine the type of song to sing and being subject to audience voting, one
by one the contestants are eliminated. The last one standing presents his musical,
aided by other cast members, of course. The winner on opening night was There
is No Name. This quickly morphed into a quirky story about a woman who had
a “condition” that wouldn’t allow her to remember anyone’s name, even seconds
after she heard it. The musical had several songs, a lot of angst and much
laughter thanks to the excellent ensemble cast of Mykey Carpenter, David Dritsas,
Eliana Fabiyi, Kristin Finger and Kelsey Hebert. You will probably see an
entirely different musical if you go, but go you must. The cast will be the
same and they are an improv treasure, able to compose hysterical dialogue, songs, and choreography on the spur of the moment.
