Review: The Simpsons “The Star of the Backstage”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Marge stages a revival of her beloved high school musical. However, the arrival of a rival from her past threatens her dreams.

Our Take:

It still amazes me that a show like The Simpsons would remain relevant for more than 30 years. Even with some controversies that threaten to pull its plug, including its decline in quality and casting changes, the ever-lasting, yellow citizens of Springfield prove that they still have more comical stories to tell, for better or worse. The show is going down a different path for the premiere of its 33rd (Yes, thirty-three.) season. An approach that involves singing and dancing.

Coincidentally, the episode resembles a Broadway musical that involves Marge being in charge of a high school musical revival. She reunites the former stars, including Barney, to recreate the musical that involves Y2K. But, of course, her new duty as a stage manager went south due to the return of another person from her past, Sasha Reed (Sara Chase from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), a famous Broadway star. Feeling rejected because of her role as managing backstage, Marge angrily blames Sasha and changes the script to expose her as a fraud. Unsurprisingly, Sasha left the stage, along with the cast, and Marge has to set things right before opening night.

What’s interesting about this episode is how important each role is played regarding the stage production. Some say that the cast is essential to bring the play to life, but the stage manager is also responsible for making sure everything is smooth sailing. Seeing that Sasha and the others reminisce their time together without Marge puts her in a situation where she’s not as important as the cast. The portrayal of this issue doesn’t quite hit the right notes as I thought it would, but it does offer some delightful moments in its musical numbers.

Sara Chase did pretty well in her guest-starring role as Sasha regarding her acting and singing abilities. However, the real show-stopper is none other than Marge’s singing voice. Marge’s musical numbers were performed by Kristen Bell, mainly known for providing the singing and speaking voice for Princess Anna from Frozen. Those singing lessons must have paid off for her. I was concerned that her voice would be unfitting for Julie Kavner’s speaking role, but the writers somehow managed to make it work.

As for the humor, I wouldn’t say that it’s the worse I’ve seen, but I would say that it felt very underwhelming. I don’t know if the quality is to blame, but it looks like that the writers are still struggling to match the memorable humor from the earlier seasons. The only jokes that I thought were amusing were Marge’s reference to having the voice of a Disney Princess (Anna) and Homer’s musical number. Who knew that the best way to convince someone delicately is by singing?

Overall, the season 33 premiere of The Simpsons sang and danced its way to amusement rather than annoyance. It’s not a perfect way to start the season in terms of its humor and execution. However, as someone who enjoys watching musicals, it’s entertaining enough just to hear Marge sing like Princess Anna.