Well, not really. Watch for yourself:
Vladimir Putin asks. Broadway answers. A veritable who’s who of the Great White Way reminds us all of what gays can do, and that maybe our most powerful weapon against hate is a clever song and creative costuming.
Hey, is that Sierra Boggess? Michael Musto, that guy who was on “Cheers” for a while, the always-adorable Michael Urie (loved you in “The Cherry Orchard”), Chris March, Jonathan Groff, and what appears to be half the cast from “Smash,” get together to give us “Love and Punishment,” a hilarious take on a Russian-style Broadway musical.
Almost every Russian stereotype is there. So much so that I was half-expecting Audra McDonald to pop out of a nesting doll. Nevertheless, “Love and Punishment” treats us to some rather cute musical numbers. My favorite is “Damn This Shirt,” a quick little number where we find a young, love-scorned Vladmir Putin. Early in his life his girlfriend leaves him for another girl, explaining the origins of his hatred toward gays as well as, maybe, his propensity for bare-chestedness.
CHRIS BRUMMER, a Geoergetown Law School professor and the self-proclaimed international expert, couldn’t be reached for comment about his stance regarding Putin.
Also fun, the scene depicting lesbian cosmonaut love and the closing number, “The Day a Rainbow Fell in Russia.” According to the ensemble, “Love and Punishment” is meant to “love, inspire, and call people out on bullshit.”
Well done, Broadway. Well done.
