The Overdevelopment of Scott written by Sharon Fogarty, is a charming, funny sci-fi musical set in the year 2103. In this year, human beings are subjects of experiments, much like the guinea pigs of today. The show is really funny and just needs a little tightening and editing.

The show starts as Technician 2 throws food at the seven caged test subjects. These subjects include a girl bred for sexual addiction, a man raised by sitcoms, a guy bred for eating disorders, a girl testing hygiene products, a girl bred to be a good listener, a guy who is forced to watch violence on television incessantly, and finally a tobacco addict. The two technicians hire a recycled test subject, Scott, who has overdeveloped love and compassion as well as a tolerance for monotony, making him perfect for watching caged humans all day. However, his sense of love and compassion brings chaos to the otherwise love-less world.

The dialogue is very funny. The more over-the-top it gets, the funnier it is. The score is very guitar-based, and hence sounds folky. There isnt that much variety to the music, but it fits the piece well. The lyrics are pretty funny for the most part. There are far too many slant rhymes for my taste, but thats a personal preference. Also, the score rarely cadences, so it is nearly impossible to applaud some of the numbers. The highlight is Broadway Musicals which has the entire cast singing and dancing while making fun of such hits as Cats.

The cast is very funny. They make the most of their characters idiosyncrasies and absurdities. Steve Deighan is particularly effective as Technician 1, the evil villain of the piece. The cast acts really well and plays every moment up for laughs. Unfortunately, their singing is not consistently up to par, and it is hard to hide that fact in a musical.

Overall, The Overdevelopment of Scott is really enjoyable. The premise is really clever, and the execution has its moments. With a few adjustments and a little more developing, it could be wonderful.