Comments on: Hip Shot: ‘Pepe! The Mail Order Monkey Musical’

By: Spencer

Spencer — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:17:34 +0000

Rick Hammerly was astoundingly perfect from the momemt the lights went on till that too-soon moment he left the stage. That look of sustained terror was endearing and funny. Mom did a great job, but wasn’t served well by the plodding, meandering lyrics. And I could have used a break from the relentless rhyming, but otherwise the music was fine. The boys came into their own during the Pepe search, and yes, Tim did seem borderline retarded, but that’s OK. The tree was worthless. Seeing opening credits projected on stage seemed a bit self-congratulatory. A very fringey show – rough, in need of a major overhaul, but with genuinely funny moments and enough fun to leave with a smile.

By: John Q.

John Q. — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:40:19 +0000

So I believed all they hype and went and saw a sold out show and I gotta tell ya, the review above it too kind. Way too kind. Moral of my story: “sold out” does not equal “good”. The monkey guy was great, though. Too bad he’s only on stage for five minutes!

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:16:06 +0000

“Pepe! The Mail Order Monkey Musical” is the hottest-selling musical in the festival. The only show with tickets remaining is Friday evening — and it featured Bravo TV’s Top Chef, Carla Hall, in the role of the letter carrier.

See why this show has sold out every performance — in the Fringe’s largest venue.

By: Jimmy

Jimmy — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:44:27 +0000

I agree with Suzyn’s criticisms above. But I’ll add more – Took WAY too long to get to the monkey, the younger boy seemed to be played as retarded, The mundane melodies and the ham fisted freedom theme, after the monkey appears it slows to a grinding halt. I was expecting something – well- a little more “fringe-y”. I can’t emphasize enough how dull the music was, while the lyrics were quite clever and the acting was pretty good.

By: Suzyn Smith Webb

Suzyn Smith Webb — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:59:18 +0000

I saw it and liked it, though I didn’t get why the Bridge women were so snotty if they helped look for the monkey. And I didn’t get the tree either.

That aside, it was fun and I agree it was one of the more polished shows I’ve seen.

By: Jon

Jon — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:04:48 +0000

Pepe is SOLD OUT for both Saturday performances. Tickets are available for the Fri., July show featuring CARLA HALL from Top Chef.

So far, Pepe is the leader in ticket sales for the whole festival! Thanks, DC!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:32:37 +0000

I saw it last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Genuinely funny.

By: Capital Fringe Fest 2009: Our Comprehensive Rundown - Fringe & Purge - Washington City Paper

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:18:39 +0000

[...] Pepe! The Mail Order Monkey Musical [...]

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:27:50 +0000

I saw the show last night and loved it. Despite the timing issues, I felt the show was polished more so than most pieces I have seen so far this festival. Some amazing performances from the Mother and Kids. I highly recommend grabbing a ticket sooner than later — the box office told me the show is the top selling ticket.