GINGER TWINSIES Is Bringing The Laughs In The East Village This Summer — Review

For passionate devotees of Nancy Meyers’ beloved 1998 family rom-com The Parent Trap, a surefire treat awaits at the Orpheum Theatre in the East Village. And for the rest of us, there’s still plenty of brainless joy to be found in Kevin Zak’s raucous new parody Ginger Twinsies, even if the show’s driving pastiche sometimes proves more exhausting than delightful. 

Zak, a popular actor, writer and gay internet person, takes on dual writing and directing duties for his unabashedly stupid sendup of Meyers’ beloved Lindsay Lohan-led identity swap comedy (itself a remake of the 1961 iteration led by Hayley Mills), now open off-Broadway and running through October 25.

The goal is broad camp, but the gags are nothing if not extremely specific. The Parent Trap is not simply a jumping-off point for Zak, some starting premise towards opening up wider avenues of comedy. No no—this is, almost beat for beat, a densely detailed dissembling of one single movie, with Zak less an author and more a chaotic dramaturg, delivering notes on Meyers’ screenplay entirely in the form of outrageous slapstick and copious dick (or, dick-sucking) jokes. 

Even if you’re expecting exactly that, it might take you some time to settle in. Zak barely allows himself a preamble here, immediately churning through plot (and commentary) at a breathless pace. But catch up, because Zak and movement director Jesse Robb have already launched into an insanely long dance sequence built around the secret handshake shared by Annie James (Russell Daniels) and her butler, Martin (Jimmy Rae Bennett, juggling many roles alongside ensemblists Lakisha May, Grace Reiter, Philip Taratula, Matthew Wilkas and Mitch Wood). 

Twinsies gradually settles into a legible balance of Parents Trap plot beats, extended (and gleefully extraneous) riffs on Meyers’ more absurd touches, and tweet-length gags on contemporary pop culture. If you’re not a Trap enthusiast, that last category proves the most satisfying—Zak’s hilarious digs at theater’s (and Broadway’s) absurdities, with targets ranging from Sweeney to Redwood, suggest he’d be a fine successor to Gerard Alessandrini. 

In fairness, many of Zak’s quips at Meyers’ expense are also enjoyable. Genius though she is, Meyers is an often truly bizarre screenwriter, and there’s good fun to be had at ribbing her more eccentric narrative decisions. But the show’s direct Parent Trap mockery grows predictable after a while, leaning too heavily on repetitive closet-case and sodomy gags.

A more experienced director than Zak might have identified areas to trim or condense (even at 80 minutes, Twinsies feels stretched out). But the work of his crackerjack creative team is faultless, from Beowulf Borritt’s purposely flimsy set pieces to Krystal Balleza and Will Vicari’s ludicrous wigs. And a supremely talented cast keeps things moving swiftly enough, most especially our delightful lead twins, Daniels and Aneesa Folds, who both deliver star-making turns. 

A special shout-out is due, also, to two incredible talents. The long underrated Phillip Taratula is a pure delight as the villainous (or is she?) gold digger Meredith Blake, chewing the scenery with effortless aplomb. And costume designer Wilberth Gonzalez supplies, among so many fantastic creations, a sight gag to end all sight gags with the room-sized hat that floats onto stage for Blake’s first entrance. That hat alone is, honestly, worth the price of admission. 

Ginger Twinsies is now in performances through October 25, 2025. For tickets and more information, visit here.