Imagine a paper salesman’s joy on pretzel day. Now take that joy and multiply it by keleven because The Office! A Musical Parody is coming to the Aronoff Center. Following its Off-Broadway run in New York City, the hit show will stop in 23 cities as part of its North American tour, including a stop in Cincinnati on Feb. 15 and 16.
Described as “the world’s most elaborate inside joke,” the musical follows everybody’s favorite people person’s paper people at Dunder Mifflin Scranton. According to Mashable, the musical takes viewers back to the beginning of the series when a camera crew inexplicably arrives at the paper company to film a documentary. From there, references to classic scenes like Kevin’s famous chili and Sprinkles’ death are dispensed at rapid fire. Original songs such as “That’s What She Said” and “Marry Me, Beasley” add to the mix to make for a new yet nostalgic Scranton adventure.
The musical comes from writers Bob and Tobly McSmith, who, after meeting at an unsuccessful Dippin’ Dots job application, began collaborating on a series of plays including FRIENDS! The Musical Parody; Bayside! The Musical; Full House The Musical; Katdashians Break the Musical; Showgirls! The Musical; and JonBenet Ramsey! Murder Mystery Theater.
"The Office! A Musical Parody is on track to be our most successful New York production in 10 years," says Tobly in a press release. “And The Office! A Musical Parody is now one of the most successful Off-Broadway shows in history. As Michael might say, ‘It's been a dream come thru.’"
After concluding its run in 2013, The Office the television show has seen a rebound in popularity thanks in large part to Netflix, becoming the service’s most-streamed program. The musical’s stop in Cincy follows the recent announcement that the series will be leaving Netflix in 2021 for NBCUniversal’s upcoming streaming service.
Tickets for the musical's Cincinnati stop are live. Remember, early worm gets the worm, so order them ASAP as possible. Schrute Bucks and Stanley Nickels not accepted.
Showtimes 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 and 1:30 p.m. Feb. 16. $25-$45. Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theater, 650 Walnut St., Downtown.
