Murder, Music, and Maniacal Talent Collide in Island City Stage’s Outrageous Season Opener, Ruthless! The Musical.

Written By Martin Childers

For South Florida Insider
John Lariviere November 6th, 2025

Island City Stage opens its 14th season with Ruthless! The Musical — a gloriously unhinged celebration of greed, talent, and theatrical excess that proves the apple doesn’t fall far from the melodramatic tree. Under Andy Rogow’s direction, this production is a camp confection served with a heaping helping of mirth and mayhem.

Written by Joel Paley with music by Marvin Laird, Ruthless! skewers everything from Gypsy and All About Eve to The Bad Seed, delivering a satirical love letter to musical theatre and the monsters it occasionally creates. A savvy audience will catch the inside references, but even if they don’t, it’s all terribly clever. A standout moment is the reference to “The Daisy Clover School for Psychopathic Ingenues,” where young Tina is sent for her bad behavior.

Read the entire interview here https://sflinsider.com/2025/11/10/ruthless/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOAXApleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeV1b0zm9yvKtt4nCwIKpchuySdgmC4xNjuKOx_D7hXsKNtD-8zywmv6FJoV0_aem_2WBgqoJ6Q7gplJn4pQL59Q

Martin Childers
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