‘Fellowship’ parody rings with laughter, inside jokes

Inspired silliness is a rare commodity. Happily, you’ll find a bumper crop in “Fellowship!” at El Portal.

“Fellowship!” is a musical parody of “The Fellowship of the Ring.” Those who haven’t seen Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, based on Tolkien’s classic fantasy, may be left high and dry by many references.

However, those with even a glancing familiarity will find much to amuse in this ripely ridiculous musical, written by Kelly Holden and Joel McCrary, who also directs. Allen Simpson, the show’s keyboardist, composed the sprightly music. Lyrics are by “everybody.”

That “everybody” credit is particularly telling. The actors in this scripted but freewheeling work are seasoned improv performers who could get laughs at a Vulcan convention. You might hear a few flat singing voices in this mix, but that’s a secondary consideration. Under McCrary’s lighthearted guidance, this cast cooks.

Robustly proportioned Peter Allen Vogt is a particular scream as Sam, a closeted hobbit with an unrequited yen for his best buddy Frodo (Cory Rouse). But then, all the performers, most of whom play multiple roles, garner their fair share of hoots. The cast includes Holden as Pippin, Ryan Smith as Merry, Brian D. Bradley as Gandalf, Matthew Stephen Young as Strider, Steve Purnick as Boromir, Edi Patterson as Legolas and Lisa Fredrickson as Gimli.

The action is interspersed with film and graphic sequences of a surprisingly high caliber. The delightfully cheesy ambience gets a boost from Laura Moneymaker’s wigs and costumes, Matt Gourley’s set and artwork, Armand Bashar’s graphic designs, Oscar Vargas’ lighting and Shon Little’s projection animation.

“Fellowship!” parodies only the first film, with a “to be continued” ending. One fervently hopes the next two installments are already in the works. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen hobbits tap dance.

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‘Fellowship!’

Where: El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays

Ends: Dec. 18

Price: $15

Contact: (323) 960-7774 or www.plays411.com/fellowship

Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes