| Jun. 28th, 2009 @ 08:33 pm Theatre review: Naked Boys Singing 2009 |
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This afternoon Evil Alex, ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) vanessaw and I went to Naked Boys Singing 2009 at the King's Head Theatre - I know, you never would have guessed I'd go to that, would you? The "2009" tacked on to the end of the title doesn't signify any new songs, but instead means this is a new production of the long-running off-Broadway revue, with an all-British cast. Director Phil Willmott's big change compared to the US version could be called controversial considering the show's title: Not as much nudity. Where in the original the boys are naked for almost the whole show, here it's set up as 7 guys "auditioning" for the show and then going through rehearsals. So the opening songs are done fully clothed, and slowly more clothes come off until the last 10 minutes or so are done naked. Opinion seems divided on whether this makes the show come off as less or more exploitative - certainly where the US version makes the nudity matter-of-fact by the end, here it's been built up throughout the show. Overall though I think it seems less tacky this way. The nudity's still played mostly for laughs and it just comes off more like a nude scene in any other show.
(The photos in the programme are very blurry but I'm fairly confident that in that picture we have L-R Duncan Leighton, Stephen Butler, Nathan Taylor, Matthew Russell-Jones, Adam Mendelsohn, Joe van Haeften and David Lucas.) Certainly one thing I liked about this production is that although all the men are good-looking, you get a variety of physical types and not identikit gym-bunnies. As for the show itself, it's hit-and-miss. The songs are written by a variety of people, and for the most part the comedy songs work OK, while the ballads fall flat on their arses, clothed or otherwise. All the performers are talented in ways other than physically anyway, both with their singing voices and some fun, energetic choreography. (Joe van Haeften sweated so much it ended up being treated with a bit of a nod and a wink - god knows how much he sweats if he has to dance fully-clothed.) I've got to say although I don't normally go for the twinky type, little Stephen Butler (not so little, as it turns out) was my favourite, and Vanessa's too. The "rehearsal" conceit really makes no sense whatsover in terms of the songs, and in a couple of cases is a hindrance, but essentially it's only there as a device to explain them keeping their clothes on for most of the show. Don't worry though, eventually the show does exactly what it says on the tin:
Obviously, I'm not so tacky as to review the guys' bits (no, now Nicholas de Jongh's retired it fell to The Stage to do that.) I wouldn't even dream of it, except to say that Adam Mendelsohn and Duncan Leighton (his professional debut - talk about a baptism of fire) sing the two songs that make specific reference to being Jewish, "The Bliss of a Bris" and "Perky Little Porn Star" respectively. Once the clothes are off it transpires that the production has been cast with an eye to religious accuracy. And to say that Leighton may or may not have some relevance to the choice of avatar on this post. And obviously I've mentioned that Stephen Butler turns out to have a lot more to offer than you'd first expect. In fact his parts go on show first, before they actually turn around to do the full frontal, due to a considerable amount of through-the-legs danglage while they're still facing the back of the stage. And, by some mysterious alchemy the boys seem better-endowed when they come back from offstage than when they've been onstage for a while, I can't imagine why that would be (David Lucas rather gave the game away by returning to the stage in a state of semi-excitement.) But anyway, apart from that I certainly wouldn't be so crass as to review the genitalia on display.
Oh and one other thing the King's Head really should have learned by now: In a very small auditorium less dry ice might be a good idea, having the audience choking to death isn't ideal.
Hey, funny how some of my theatre reviews end up being more detailed than others, eh?
Naked Boys Singing 2009 by various writers is booking until the 5th of July at the King's Head Theatre, and then transfers to the Arts Theatre. |
