Review: “Sloppy Bonnie: A Roadkill Musical for the Modern Chick” at OZ Arts Nashville

Featured: Amanda Disney, James Rudolph II

“Sloppy Bonnie: A Roadkill Musical for the Modern Chick” was written by Krista Knight and Barry Brinegar, directed by Leah Lowe and follows a young Bonnie (Played by Amanda Disney) as she embarks on a road trip to surprise her youth pastor fiancé. Along the way she encounters many strange obstacles but the lover for her fiancé and her unwavering optimism carries her through. Though, as her journey continues, she begins to question why she’s even doing this in the first place.

 After having watched her animated series “Crush” on Youtube, I was excited to see what Krista Knight would do with a full-length musical. And I was thrilled to find out that it was just as strange and quirky as I had hoped

The music in “Sloppy Bonnie” is incredibly fun. With a country/bluegrassy feel, it has just the right amount of bounce to match the wacky characters and situations, while also being able to provide some moments of truly beautiful vocals.

While all of the music was very fun and fit the world of the show perfectly, it did feel repetitive at times. This is likely to happen when your show only has three actors, as there are only a certain number of combinations that you can have. Overall, I enjoyed the music but when we got one Bonnie solo after another, there were definitely a few moments I glanced away from my computer screen to look at my phone. 

The performances by all three actors were fantastic. Amanda Disney as Bonnie is truly the heart and soul of the piece. With stunning voice that fits into the style of the show brilliantly and being in pretty much every scene there was never a moment where I wasn’t invested in what she was doing (save for the song moments I mentioned above). Disney balances the sweet optimism with the ever-growing frustration and independence very well. I would have been so easy to make this character a stereotype and it never feels that way.

The other two actors, Curtis Reed and James Rudolph II play every other role in the show (and there’s a lot of them) and show incredible range. From calm and collected to wacky and strange both actors bounce back and forth between roles with great comedic timing and really fill out the wacky world of this play.

Watching the recording, the additional animation added to the production is unlike any other virtual performance I’ve seen. Things are added like comicbook-like graphics letting us know when there is a fatality or when we are listening to a certain radio station. Also, things like adding the outline of a car when they are driving or fire towards the end of the play when Bonnie gets a surprise visit. It all blends together incredibly well and not only makes the virtual viewing more interesting but actually gives an experience that the live audience did not get. In a world where it’s going to get harder and harder to convince people to watch theatre virtually, this was a great way around that hurdle.

This show is glorious in its simplicity and it’s that simplicity that allows it to be as absurd as it is. At its most basic of plot descriptions it’s a woman on a road trip to see her fiancé. That’s it. And because it’s so simple that allows for everything else around that to get crazier and crazier because all it has to do is get in her way. So of course, she’s going to sing a song with Jesus in the passenger seat of her car. And of course, she’s going to talk the ear off of a truck driver as he drives her part of the way, and of course there’s going to be a clown singing with a group of ghosts. Why wouldn’t there be? Why shouldn’t there be?

Bonnie’s journey in the show is also one that is very well constructed. Starting the story as someone fully swept up in her youth pastor husband, calling him constantly and really putting more energy into their relationship than it appears he ever did, she ends the show fully realized as someone who doesn’t really need his approval or anyone else’s.

“Sloppy Bonnie” was a well written, well-acted, and creatively filmed production with a delightfully simple story, fun and catchy songs, and it is definitely the kind of theatre that we need right now. I look forward to seeing where this show goes in the future. 

“Sloppy Bonnie” was written by Krista Knight and Barry Brinegar.

It was filmed live at OZ Arts Nashville in June 2021

The film was written, directed, and animated by NO PUPPET CO (Krista Knight and Barry Brinegar)

The live production was directed by Leah Lowe

Featuring: Amanda Disney, Curtis Reed, And James Rudolph II

Choreography and Chicken Movement by Gabrielle Saliba

With costume support by Alex Sargent Capps, Megan Haase, and Gabrielle Saliba