Bigfoot! ★★★

Bigfoot!: A New Musical has an unexpected problem for a cultural icon known for its fearsome size and disposition: it lacks bite. Creators Amber Ruffin, David Schmoll, and Kevin Sciretta have ostensibly set the show in the 1980s, but the production only flirts with the decade—framed photos of Ronald Reagan and a Gremlin in the mayor’s office are a highlight—when it really needs to commit. The result now playing at Manhattan Theatre Club is a lukewarm, hodgepodge satire that pales in comparison to earlier shows of its ilk, most notably The Toxic Avenger and Bat Boy. The latter just had a successful run upstairs from this space at City Center this past fall, and this new entry compares unfavorably.

All that said, the show has some fun ideas, first and foremost the hilarious notion that its very hairy lead is gay. That idea alone is enticing, and though Bigfoot doesn’t officially announce his sexual preference till late in the show, it’s no spoiler to reveal what is clearly obvious from the start. As embodied by the terrific Grey Henson (best known for Shucked and Mean Girls), one couldn’t ask for a more entertaining monster, a beast so charming Noël Coward wouldn’t hesitate to invite him to dinner. This Bigfoot may be incredibly strong, but he also prances and preens, speaks eloquently with refined wit, and clearly uses excellent conditioner. It doesn’t hurt that Henson’s comic timing is nonpareil; if Nathan Lane is to have an heir apparent, it is Henson.

The show suffers whenever Henson is off-stage, which is, alas, too often. Not that the talented cast isn’t up to the task; they do some heavy lifting to elevate this material, especially SNL alum Alex Moffat and Crystal Lucas-Perry. We know from her fantastic Tony-nominated run in Ain’t No Mo that Lucas-Perry can make satire sting, but here she’s given a painfully sincere solo, “Maybe,” that feels entirely out of place, like a cannabis dispensary selling Bibles.

To be fair, Bigfoot! does land some great zingers, and under Danny Melford’s rapid-fire direction, the intermission-less show moves along at the necessary clip. But even in a satire, some dramatic stakes are needed, and the stakes in Bigfoot! are too low to make any real impact. Like the titular character’s feet, everything in this musical begs to be bigger.