Los Angeles Times

THEATER REVIEW
Oh, just loosen up: These boyz are divine
The music nails the MTV sound, and the cast charms its way through the sweet-natured parody.

By David Nichols,

Special to The Times

Sanctimonious souls may forswear "Altar Boyz" at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center. Everybody else will have a heavenly time. In its regional premiere by Musical Theatre West, the Outer Critics Circle Award-winning satire of boy bands is almost sinfully entertaining.

Conceived by Marc Kessler and Ken Davenport, "Altar Boyz" has become a pop-culture phenomenon since its 2005 off-Broadway premiere. The wafer-thin premise — five preternaturally limber teens on the last leg of their "Raise the Praise" tour seek to save our souls tonight — could easily fall into self-parody or worse.

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Altar Boyz' has inoffensive fun

with boy bands, Christianity
By A.K. Whitney, Staff Writer

Press Telegram

From, left to right, James Royce Edwards( Matthew ) Tyler McGee (Luke) and Dan Domenech,(Juan) in a scene from Alter Boyz at the Carpenters Performing Arts Center. (Stephen Carr/Press-Telegram )MAKING FUN of the boy-band craze is easy. Making fun of religion in a way that won't result in protests and anger isn't.

"Altar Boyz," now at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, does both these things very well. The story of a fictional Christian boy band from Ohio on its first big tour, "Boyz" is full of hokey choreography and genre stereotypes, as well as clever lines poking fun at Christianity. And yet, even when it gets snarky, it is clear everyone involved has plenty of affection for both boy bands and Christianity. 

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