The title of this off-Broadway show is a simple and complex one. At first glance, it tells the audience everything that they need to know. Like a nude theatrical equivalent of the seminal Samuel L. Jackson masterwork, "Snakes on a Plane." However, the idea of... well... naked boys singing onstage is doubtlessly going to turn off the more prudish members of the theatergoing public.
This is a shame, as it’s also lots of fun.
Ultimately, what makes the show work is how natural things feel once the show gains its footing. The first number, “Gratuitous Nudity” is a standard show tune, somewhat forgettable but pleasant enough to mark our entry into the world of naked-male-crooning. This first song not only brings the men out in all of their uncovered glory, but immediately has them doing all of the things a bachelorette party (of which there were two the night I was present) could possibly want.
Throughout the evening, the able performers somehow manage to come close to pushing the envelope without ever doing anything that would cross the line into pornography. Even a song like "Perky Little Pornstar" has an oddly sweet and wholesome feel.
Naked Boys Singing is certainly not for the Disney crowd, but the title will keep them away anyway, leaving plenty of seats available for degenerates like me. The show is a beautiful example of what Off-Broadway should do. It pushes limits, opens minds, presents interesting ideas and scenarios, and does it on a budget that seems to border on about fifteen dollars above nonexistent. To lamely twist an old phrase, no shirt, no shoes, no problem.
By Ivan Rushfield
Click here for tickets and information for Naked Boys Singing!
