By Marilyn Lester***Anyone who’s read the source material for the IT franchise knows the 1986 Stephen King book was unrelentingly terrifying. Less so by a smidge were the film adaptations—a 1990 television miniseries with Tim Curry as Pennywise the Clown/It, the 2017 first of a two-part feature film adaptation with Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, and the second part, It, Chapter Two, in 2019, with Skarsgård reprising his role. Fortunately, IT: A Musical Parody at Chelsea Table+Stage does the job that parodies are supposed to 
do, making IT a hilarious romp in the field of horror genre.
With Garrett Clayton (NBC-TV’s “Hairspray Live!,” “The Fosters”) in the starring role of Pennywise, the evil becomes a perfect de-fanged treat for the Halloween season. Clayton hits the right notes of crazy and funny with robust dancing and controlled, clear, clarion vocals. He’s supported by an enthusiastic cast: Vanjah Alexander, E.K. Dagenfield, Trevin Goin, Gwen Hollander, Janaya Mahealani Jones, Katie Self and Sterling Sulieman, who each belt out their teenage angst with energy—armed with the tools of wacky comedy to defeat the manic dancing clown.
IT: A Musical Parody debuted in September 2019 at LA’s Rockwell Table+Stage as a part of the Rockwell Musical Parodies series. And then we know what happened soon after—a real life horror story of pandemic proportions. Now debuting at sister club, Chelsea Table+Stage, with cast mostly intact, the show 
takes us to Derry, Maine where seven socially awkward teenagers, who form a self-dubbed Losers Club, confront a shapeshifting, sewer-dwelling evil that preys on children.
It begins in a summer long ago, with a paper boat floating down a gutter river and a little boy chasing it toward the sewer drain, as it disappears out of his reach. But, surprise!, there’s Pennywise, lurking in the sewer, disguised as a friendly clown. He hands the boat back to the child, makes nice, and eventually tears his arm off—singing and dancing to Styx’s “Come Sail Away.”
How it eventually ends? Why, with Pennywise’s defeat of course, or maybe not. But during the journey from start to finish, there are twists and bends on the story’s plot points, with the Losers paradoxically trying to stay alive and defeat Pennywise at the same time. But the show, is, after all a parody, with poking fun de rigueur. “Beverly,” for instance, is the only girl in the Losers Club, so a great deal of the humor focuses on her periods and bodily functions. For the 
boys, their own raging hormones are a sense of fun. Finally, in the first act, Pennywise is quelled and life goes on in Derry.
Alas, it turns out when Pennywise is sated, he enters 27 years of dormancy. And, so, 27 years later, the Losers reconvene to continue the fight. For a parody, this period is less interesting than the first; kid humor is a lot funnier than putting adults through the same Pennywise paces. Yet, though a little wiser the Losers are no less zany in their attempt to do in Pennywise once and for all—maybe.
Fortunately, Pennywise does not disappoint in the consistency of his actions, even as the adult Losers try to cope with him in a somewhat convoluted plot. Through it all, Clayton makes great use of the long configuration of the Chelsea Table+Stage venue, moving in and out of the playing area, vigorously executing solos and dance numbers, as well as interacting with the audience. The different locations around the room are also well-utilized by the Losers, both in interacting with Pennywise and in moving their story forward. It’s all executed with great energy and enthusiasm, the talented cast well-supporting Clayton’s star turn as the maniacal clown.
A curated list of popular songs are expertly woven throughout IT: A Musical Parody, played live by an inspired quartet: music director and pianist-arranger Gregory Nabours, guitarist Rob Morrison, bassist Elmo Zapp and drummer David Lamoureux. Act One music, besides “Come Sail Away,” also included “Boys of Summer,” “99 Red Balloons” and a “nine-o’clock number,” a dazzling, energetic rendition of a very spirited “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The songs of Act Two include “Bad Romance” and “Elastic Heart,” plus a Britney Spears medley, among others.
IT: A Musical Parody was written by John Flynn, directed by Nathan Moore, and features choreography by Mallory Butcher, in addition to production design by Chadd McMillan and lighting design by Julien V. Elstob. Pablo Rossil and E.K. Dagenfield serve as executive producers for Rockwell Productions.
IT: A Musical Parody runs through its special Halloween performance on Monday, October 31. Tickets are $35-75, in addition to a service charge and a two-item food and beverage minimum.
Chelsea Table+Stage is located at 152 West 26th Street, New York, NY
Photos by Bryan Carpender
