One Hot Mess

I went to see Too Hot to Handel last night at the Auditorium Theater and the show just didn't do it for me. It's supposed to be a combination of jazz, gospel, and classical music all rolled into one, but it ended up being one big mess of a show. This is no criticism of the performers themselves. The musicians and singers were all very good, but the mix of the musical styles just didn't work. Having someone do an Ella Fitzgerald-like scat through Handel's Messiah is a mistake. Having jazzy interludes with a gospel choir and then adding some classical music into the mix just creates confusion. Too Hot to Handel? More like one hot mess.