F#%king Up Everything Review: A Rock Comedy With Balls

A hot chick on the ukelele, puppets, an orgy and a live band, David Eric Davis’ “F#%king Up Everything” has it all.

With memorable music, hilarious, but believable acting and a slew of twists, this production marvels.

Christian Mohammed Schwartzelberg (Max Crumb) isn’t your typical Jewish 20-something in Brooklyn. A queer studies major in college and now a trained puppeteer, he’s a hipster to the highest degree. When the adorable Julianna (Katherine Cozumel) comes to town, his life is changed forever. This could be it for Christian. He’s in love. But when his best frienemy and indie rocker Jake (Jason Gotay) meets the new flame, all of Christian’s desires are in jeopardy.

Add in two other love stories, witty pop culture references (Michael Cera will love this play) and the type of dialogue that would make any “Friends” fan smile and you have an engaging performance that absolutely flies by. It’s almost sad when it’s over.

The laughs and great music just never stop. Davis’ script and music are almost in perfect harmony. Just when you get the hunkering for another fun, punk rock or silly track, it comes, almost naturally. Crumb’s voice is solid, but it’s Cozumel and Gotay that steal the show on vocals. Gotay tries hard to be a punker and although it works, he’s more suited for the slower boy band-esque stuff he sings later on. Cozumel is beyond endearing with the ukelele. Imagine “Juno” with extra heart.

That’s not to say Crumb can’t sing. The guy can totally rock. He just entertains more with his puppets, ranging from Noam Chomsky to The Cure’s Robert Smith. Wacky, but inspiring, it’s safe to say Crumb’s character embodies the shy, lonely person in all of us. While he lacks the sex appeal of Gotay and some of the other characters, you’ll instantly love him and enjoy his antics.

The other players include Tony (Douglas Widick), the stoner bassist in Jake’s band, Tony’s girlfriend and Jake’s “bestie,” Ivy (Dawn Cantwell) and the monosyllabic drummer (George Salazar). Widick may not have a tremendous role in the performance, but his bass playing and reggae-inspired songs are fun and serve as an excellent catalyst between the more serious scenes. The same thing goes for Salazar, whose facial expressions alone make him a hit. Cantwell may have the best voice on the cast and like Widick, does an excellent job of not being forgettable despite not having a lead role.

However, it is the sexy Arielle (Lisa Birnbaum) who makes the most of a small role. In the show-stealing scene, she sings about her bucket list, which is actually her own way of extending her own needed debauchery. Think Johnny Cash’s “I Been Everywhere,” but with a more “internal” meaning. At the same time, Arielle has a heart and is able to connect the viewer to the story’s larger premise. For such a small role, Birnbaum captivates quickly and makes herself an important part of the production.

With not a wasted song and memorable cast-wide performances, “F#%king Up Everything” is easily a contender for best Off-Broadway show of the year and one that you’ll tell all your friends about. “Rock of Ages” meets “How I Met Your Mother,” this production has something for everybody.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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