Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Breslin and Foley’s THE LAST BIMBO OF THE APOCALYPSE giddily dissects celebrity culture by way of the internet

• By drediman
• May 14, 2025
• No Comments

Last night, The New Group’s production of The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse opened Off-Broadway at the Pershing Square Signature Center. Created by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley — the masterminds behind such eccentric theatrical creations as Circle Jerk (which ended up being a Pulitzer Prize Finalist) and This American Wife — the duo’s latest is essentially an online detective musical about three “netizens” who investigate what ever happened to Coco, an aspiring pop singer (whose star never quite ascended) and the alleged fourth girl in the car when the notorious photograph of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsay Lohan was taken in 2006 (in response to the picture, the New York Post branded the trio as “three bimbos of the apocalypse”).

Not quite the anything goes multimedia spectacle that their previous aforementioned works were, Breslin and Foley’s new show is still a fun house of a musical, even if it fascinates less as it reveals more about the investigation (no spoilers here!). Indeed, in many ways, The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse is actually a conventional musical with an unconventional premise, featuring a linear plot and witty and admittedly addictive pop songs that burrow themselves between the ears (think Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s boppy ear worms for Six, which are apt comparisons, especially when paired with Jack Ferver’s choreography). That being said, Breslin and Foley remain one of the most giddily adventurous theater-makers in the industry, particularly as it relates to dissecting celebrity culture and the theatricalization of lives lived through the internet, which — very much like theater itself — is an alternate reality where where one can reinvent themselves.

Given that most of the piece literally takes place in the internet, the storytelling is largely manifested in the episodic text and the well-sung songs. Given this, Rory Pelsue’s nicely paced production has been designed with minimalism in mind (the sleek and functional set is by Osin Cohen and the polished concert-like lighting is by Amith Chandrashaker). As for the performances, they’re terrific. Patrick Nathan Falk and Luke Islam are cuddly joys as two of the online sleuths, and they fully embrace the sketch-like nature of the piece (a characteristic of Breslin and Foley’s works). The third is the soulful Milly Shapiro (an original Broadway Matilda), who brings dramatic gravitas to an otherwise frivolous show. Rounding out the cast as Coco and her cohorts, respectively, are Keri René Fuller, Natalie Walker, and Sara Gettelfinger, who all but chew up the scenery with their voracious performances.

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THE LAST BIMBO OF THE APOCALYPSE
Off-Broadway, Musical
The New Group at the Pershing Square Signature Center
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 1