‘Cosmic Relief!’ Review: It’s Camp! An Enjoyable Blend of Genuine Theater and Satire

Looking for a pleasant night out at the theater? Go no further than Farkas Hall. The Hasty Pudding is putting on its annual comedy show, a welcome trip to a chaotic era guaranteed to keep the audience laughing and hooked by plot twists until its final curtain. An original musical, “Cosmic Relief!” was written by Maureen Clare ’24 and Matthew Cole ’24 and composed by Veronica Leahy ’23 with lyrics by Mireya Sanchez-Maes ’24.

“Cosmic Relief!” takes its audience to another planet — well, eventually — but initially only gets as far as Hollywood in the 1960s. Lauren Order (Emma Rogers ’25), an FBI agent, is tasked with outing the communist C-list director Worse N. Welles (Taylor Kruse ’23). Instead, she uses this as an opportunity to fake the moon landing and get back into the good graces of J. Edgar Hoover. In the process, Lauren actually becomes connected with the film and its cast and crew, leading her to question her steadfast commitment to anti-communism, which she uncritically embraced all the way back in childhood, when she turned in her communist mother.

Setting the scene amid 1960s communist paranoia, the writing plays off an uncontroversially controversial time; throw-away jokes referring to Nixon or communism always land, even if they occasionally seem obvious or repetitive. There is also clever wordplay involving characters’ names and in-jokes referring to Harvard (think, you can “always go to McKinsey afterwards” when your career flops) or Hasty Pudding itself.

The show becomes even more meta by bringing the technical crew on stage and having the band rouse some audience participation, all fostering a playful, collaborative environment.

The Hollywood setting, red-scare dramatics, and the science fiction movie all create entertaining disorder, especially as they center around Lauren as the incompetent officer. However, between wanting a moon landing, wanting to fake a moon landing and wanting to arrest the people involved in the production, the plot does get lost at times. But the way the actors interact with each other — whether squabbling or acting united against the FBI — consistently conveys their chemistry and allows the plot to hold the audience’s attention.

The cast’s ability to be charming is especially impressive considering most of the characters are individually quite annoying due to their social and personal incompetence. Lauren is an obnoxious try-hard, but Rogers nails the comic awkwardness of her amateur actions while Bernardo de Moura Sequeira ’26 as Justin D’Backcrowned is hilariously self-deprecating.

As can be expected from Hasty Pudding, much of the cast takes on genderbending roles, which often turn into the highlights of the show. Matthew W. Cole ’24 as Aunty Establishment is delightfully over the top. Just when you start to want more of her seemingly C-level storyline, you discover the plot twist that makes her essential to the show.

Sophie M. Garrigus ’25 as Theodore Mee is also enjoyably silly in her portrayal of the lazy over-appreciated actor. Her performance is unwavering, though the British accent is a bit unclear at times.

Perhaps the only confusing gender swap is Jacob K. Ostfeld ’23 as the dog that goes into space, Lassie Ninorbette, who appears to be male-presenting until they call her a “bitch” in a joke that garners more gender confusion than laughs.

Many of the actors also stand out for their unfaltering accents, such as Worse’s classic retro Hollywood director voice. Additionally, Lyndsey R. Mugford ’23 plays Esther Terrestrial, a method actor too committed to her role as an alien queen, and maintains a loud, harsh, animatronic voice that embodies her forceful, inhuman character.

The music further proves that the talent is not limited to acting. The band doesn’t miss a beat and the cast all have voices strong enough to support their solo numbers. The songs are mostly lighthearted and funny, and they sustain the humorous banter of the show’s dialogue.

The end of the show deviates from its initial style when it starts focusing on choreography in a journey through space. While most of the show’s choreography seems simple though well-executed, the final parts allow director-choreographer Larry Sousa (one of the non-student contributors to the musical) to create a significantly more intricate dance number. This artistic depiction does away with the plot and dialogue and is a more imaginative form of storytelling that is compelling in its novelty. Isabel V. S. Wilson, who plays Dr. Noah Credited, excels in her performance at the beginning of the sequence, and the rest of the team — both the cast and, notably, the band — deliver emotional peaks of discovery and comedy, that range in speed, style, and of course include their signature kickline.

The set design of the show is variable, much of the show consisting mostly of backdrops, and then becoming more heavy-duty later on. The backdrops are likely less labor intensive than constructed pieces, but well-designed and effective at illustrating the Hollywood studio environment. The latter part of the show does include more moving structures, expanding to show Welles’s movie’s set and creatively transitioning into space using projections and hanging props to represent planets.

The costuming and makeup are also very well-done, spanning from hippie styles and alien fashion to spacesuits. Aunty wouldn’t have the same presence without the tie-dye, fake saggy boobs, and sloppy lipstick, nor would Esther without her metallic gown and purple skin.

The show is chaotic in the most fun way, with confusing plots, interpretive dances, inept characters, and meta humor, checking off all the boxes theater lovers look for.

“Cosmic Relief!” runs through March 5 at Farkas Hall, before shipping off to New York City and Hamilton, Bermuda. You can purchase tickets here.

—Staff writer Margo A. Silliman can be reached at Margo Silliman at margo.silliman@thecrimson.com