First kisses get as overproduced as an infomercial in “Nobody Loves You.”
A comedy of courting manners by Itamar Moses (guide and lyrics) and Gaby Alter (music and lyrics), this cheeky musical spoofs actuality TV and the vanishing-attention-span tradition that’s hopelessly hooked on it.
Why trouble to fulfill folks IRL when you’ll be able to sit in your coach getting carpal tunnel from swiping proper?
Moses, the Berkeley native who so completely captured the heart-stopping ethos of misplaced romance within the beautiful “The Band’s Visit,” right here delivers the fitfully humorous futility of making an attempt to make actual love connections within the age of the selfie.
Freshly dumped Jeff (A.J. Holmes) a disgruntled philosophy grad pupil, goes on a cheesy courting present to get even together with his ex. In fact, in line with the inviolable guidelines of rom-com land, he quickly falls head over elbow pads for Jenny (a wry flip by Kuhoo Verma) a jaded present producer who yearns to be a feminist documentarian. They immediately spark.
He hates the commodification of courtship rituals. She hates “guys that use their hatred of clichés as an excuse not to do anything nice for you.”
The sweetly real chemistry between Holmes and Verma is likely one of the loveliest facets of this present, which fits on a bit longer than its slight charms warrant.
The snarky commentary on the social media age comes off as a bit old-hat, and too most of the odd couple tropes really feel predictable. Meet the social gathering lady (Molly Hager) and the goody two sneakers (Seth Hanson) making a splash within the scorching tub and the feisty single lady (Ana Yi Puig) who immediately realizes that she wants to like herself first. Cue the violins.
Nonetheless, from the staged meet-cutes to the unctuous host Byron (a splendidly tacky flip by Jason Veasey), the trimmings listed here are so enjoyable that it distracts you from the hackneyed bits, no less than at first.
Sadly the uneven 105-minute present has just a few extra songs (largely forgettable) than it could possibly buoy by sheer exuberance.
Verma however imbues Jenny’s tremulous anthem with so many shades of emotional ambivalence that she offers the present a coronary heart. Extra scenes that felt uncooked or actual would extra successfully floor this light-hearted lampoon.
ACT director Pam MacKinnon retains the tempo snappy and the vibes shiny, like actuality TV itself, however “Nobody Loves You” simply doesn’t provide you with all of the feels.
Contact Karen D’Souza at karenpdsouza@yahoo.com.
‘NOBODY LOVES YOU’
Guide and lyrics by Itamar Moses, music and lyrics by Gaby Alter; introduced by American Conservatory Theater
Via: March 30
The place: Toni Rembe Theater, 415 Geary St., San Francisco
Working time: 1 hour, 45 minutes, no intermission
Tickets: $25-$130; act-sf.org
