Earthquakes, tidal waves, piranhas, infernos and the songs of the '70s take center stage in this comedic homage to 1970s disaster films.

[1] A second production at Triad Theatre, with choreography by Denis Jones and music supervision by Steve Marzullo, opened on January 22, 2012, and ran through March 25.

The show starred Rudetsky, along with Roger Bart, Kerry Butler, Kevin Chamberlin, Adam Pascal, Faith Prince, Rachel York, Max Crumm and Jennifer Simard.

[4] The plot follows a group of New Yorkers that attend the opening of a floating casino and discothèque that quickly succumbs to multiple disasters.

While working together in 1992, Seth Rudetsky and Drew Geraci developed the concept of creating a musical reminiscent of the 70s disaster films they both appreciated.

The original storyline involved the New York City blackout of 1977 and incorporated the decade's top songs as both musical numbers and vehicles for comedy.

Major changes included widening the plot's range: instead of focusing on one disaster, the NYC blackout, they decided to introduce a variety of catastrophes common to the popular films of the 1970s that they had grown up watching.

[7] A Broadway production directed by Plotnick opened in March 2016 at the Nederlander Theatre, with an all-star cast and choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter.

The show was produced by Robert Ahrens, Mickey Liddell/LD Entertainment, Hunter Arnold, James Wesley, Jim Burba and Bob Hayes.

[8] While Jennifer Simard received a Tony nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Sister Mary Downey, ticket sales weren't strong enough to make the production financially viable, with the show often playing only to half-capacity audiences.

[5] The characters gather to gamble and dance, unaware of impending natural disasters, and the building's lack of safety measures compounds these catastrophes.

Chad Rubik is looking for female company ("Hot Stuff") and decides to join his best friend, Scott, as a waiter aboard the casino boat.

While the guests wait in line, a dour Sister Mary Downey appears, collecting money for the orphans fund and warning people that gambling is a sin ("The Lord's Prayer").

She successfully avoids a cab driver she can't afford to pay and gets on board, hoping she'll win back her fortune ("Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)").

Inside her casino dressing room, sexy lounge singer Jackie excitedly tells her children, 11-year-old twins Ben and Lisa, that Tony told her, "If tonight goes perfectly, he will ask me to marry him...

Meanwhile, Sister Mary is practically salivating over a Hawaii Five-O-themed slot machine but when noticed by Shirley, adamantly denies having a gambling addiction.

She accuses him of having a trap door installed at the bottom of the ship to dump illegal contraband and produces proof that he skipped safety precautions.

Hurt by Chad's indifference, Marianne drinks an entire bottle of wine, then runs into Lisa and tries to convince her (and herself) that being an independent woman is the most important thing in the world ("I Am Woman/That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be").

Suddenly, Shirley reveals that she has a fatal disease, and explains that she'll soon show the final warning signs, like uncontrollable winking and inappropriate verbal outbursts.

Levora can't bear to part with the only thing she's ever loved, yet she has only one quarter left to gamble and gain back her fortune.

Act Two opens ("All Right Now") to reveal massive destruction in the casino as well as the Hawaii Five-O slot machine lever impaled in Scott's stomach.

Chad is on the deck to give Scott a burial at sea and runs into the wealthy man, whose wife was killed by a falling ice sculpture ("Three Times a Lady").

While waiting in Jackie's dressing room, Shirley starts showing signs of her impending death (inappropriate verbal outbursts) and Lisa discovers Ben, who is passed out because of his diabetes.

Scheider objects, but Tony assures them the kitchen has fire doors and is therefore safe, so half the survivors, including Jackie, Ben and Lisa leave with him.

Scheider decides to buck his own rules, braves the fire, and arrives to rescue them with a daring routine on a high beam ("Nadia's Theme").

Shirley hears Chad and Marianne's Morse code and Scheider informs her that he has instructions on how to unlock the door in his Disaster Handbook.

one of its top ten must-see musicals for 2013, claiming that "This spoof of catastrophe-themed movies mixed with '70s pop hits gushes with Velveeta as well as laughs, great new talents and savvy jukebox craftsmanship.

"[23] Time Out New York critic and president of New York Drama Critics' Circle Adam Feldman rated the show five stars, stating, "I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud at the theater as often as I did at Disaster!...with meticulous ingenuity, the show repurposes three dozen classic tunes from the Me Decade to often hilarious effect."