Do we really need another jukebox musical? If the buzz at D.C.’s Arena Stage minutes before a recent showing of “CrazySexyCool – The TLC Musical” is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes.
The excitement continued throughout the show and even afterwards.
The show chronicles and celebrates TLC, the groundbreaking all-female Atlanta group who burst onto the music scene in the early ’90s with R&B and crossover hits like 鈥淣o Scrubs,” 鈥淲aterfalls,鈥� and 鈥淐reep.鈥�
But it wasn鈥檛 just the music that captivated fans, it was the dancing, the fashion and the vibe that influenced and helped define ’90s pop culture. The ensemble is considered to be one of the bestselling American girl groups in history.
The group was a major influence for Destiny鈥檚 Child, Beyonc茅 and Rihanna, and also served as an influence for Lin-Manuel Miranda when he was creating the Broadway smash, “Hamilton.”
One of the characters in CrazySexyCool states TLC 鈥渞edefined womanhood in the 20th century.”
Like other jukebox musicals, CrazySexyCool weaves the story of TLC through song, touching on the ups and downs from the hits to awards, health struggles, misogyny and, of course, the infamous arson incident and shocking death of founding member Lisa 鈥淟eft Eye鈥� Lopes in 2002.
The name of the show comes from the group鈥檚 second studio album, which sold over 10 million copies and earned a Diamond certification 鈥� the first girl group to achieve that plateau.
鈥淭LC” comes from the first letter of each of the three founding members鈥� nicknames: Tionne 鈥淭-Boz鈥� Watkins, Lisa 鈥淟eft Eye鈥� Lopes and Rozonda 鈥淐hilli鈥� Thomas.
The singing, dancing and kinetic energy on stage more than make up for any script imperfections.
One way to judge a musical is whether you are encouraged to sing along during the show and leave the theater singing and humming the tunes. Using that criteria, CrazySexyCool is definitely a show worth experiencing.
The runtime for CrazySexyCool is 2.5 hours and includes one 15-minute intermission. The show will be held at Arena Stage鈥檚 Kreeger Theater through Aug. 9, and tickets can be .
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