It’s about shedding inhibitions and baring your soul more than the nudity.
The gimmick behind "Naked Boys Singing!" is that, obviously, a group of naked guys…sing. Without a narrative to guide them, the ten guys belt out fifteen radically different tunes with just as many different themes. The only constant is that they are naked through most of the production and each of the characters is gay. Whether it be a heartfelt tearjerker about a lost love ("Kris, Look What You´ve Missed") or the painfully personal "Fight the Urge," each time the music starts up we´re assured of an emotional experience.
"Gratuitous Nudity" starts the proceedings off after a very short "Overture" which showcases the boys getting to the theater. At any rate, the idea the performers will be naked for the next 83 minutes is mocked in the opening number. It´s as if they wanted the audience to get over the shock of seeing ten different penises flopping around on stage out of the way as quickly as possible. The choreography leaves a bit to be desired as some of the guys look uncomfortable or slightly out of rhythm. Check out when they criss-cross each others paths. Thankfully, they settle down for the rest of the production.
Kevin Stea takes the stage for "The Naked Maid." (If there´s one thing which can be said about each of the songs, it´s that the titles don´t try to be cute. They´re as direct as possible.) It serves as a thematic companion piece to "Gratuitous Nudity" and tickles the funny bone in part because of Stea´s charisma. He´s one of the only guys who looks to be having genuine fun.
In the hour long documentary "Nuts and Bolts," Joe Souza repeatedly asks director Troy Christian to release him from the production. For some reason, he thinks there is no way he´ll be able to remember all of the choreography. Christian refuses and imparts one bit of wisdom: draw attention to your face so no one will focus on your feet. Souza doesn´t get to dance in "Bliss of a Bris," third up on the play list, but has the facial expressions down pat. This piece is designed for audience members who appreciate ethnic humor, specifically Jewish humor. It tends to be puzzling for the non-Jews and never quite packs the punch you´d expect.
Phong Truong teams with the only member from the original production, Vincent Zamora, for "Window to Window" and its reprise (which is the penultimate piece). Everything the musical review is about coalesces here, from deceptively simple staging to a beautiful blue hue cast over the stage. Zamora gets the lion share of the workout here, with Truong picking up the slack in the reprise. Aside from being a hauntingly sad yet optimistic wish for companionship, the real highlight is Zamora´s vocal range. He projects his voice farther and with more consistency than anyone else in the cast.
The anti-erection locker room song is up next titled "Fight the Urge." Various cast members take center stage as they try to hide their hardening sex organs from the jocks in high school. Two problems with the piece, at least for me. One is the only singing boy who can pass as high school age is Joseph Keane…who is nowhere to be found; and two, none of the boys actually get erections. Coming off of "Window to Window," I couldn´t help but want more from "Fight the Urge." It´s a novel idea in which to find humor; it just doesn´t capitalize on our emotions.
Jaymes Hodge, the star of "Nothin´ But the Radio On" says his agent nearly pulled him out of the movie when the guys were told they would be performing in front of an audience naked. Lucky for him and all of us Hodge stayed since his two numbers (this one and "Kris") are highlights of the show. Aside from having a classical country look, Hodge is the only one of the boys who could pull off the slight twang the music calls for while evoking Marilyn Monroe.
I have to ask what the is the point of "Jack´s Song." Another group diddy, the subject matter is masturbation. By now we know no topic is off limits, though the music is strongest when emotion or a sense of fun is driving the melody instead of the need to be shocking, as is the case here.
In a tribute to old school film actors, the amazingly elastic Jason Currie stars in "Robert Mitchum." This piece utilizes the film medium more than any other by replicating the look of an old strip of film. Wear lines occasionally pop up on either side of the main number. Unfortunately, that happens to be the most noteworthy aspect of "Robert Mitchum." Currie goes for the gusto, as we´ll also see in "The Entertainer." The concept has a hard time resonating for reasons I can´t quite put my finger on.
Next up is a full company ode to the male organ of reproduction, the penis, titled "Members Only." The highlight, sadly is of conductor Salvatore Vassallo as he leads the troop. His body language, the way he contorts his body in ways I´m sure John Williams has never contemplated elevate this segment over "Fight the Urge" and "Jack´s Song" ever so slightly.
The award for Most Humorous Title goes to "Perky Little Porn Star" and its leading man, Keane. Though his MySpace page lists his age as 23, his boyish cuteness makes him look at least five years younger. And when he´s on stage by himself, we get swept up not in the story itself, but in his facial expressions. They tend to be much like Souza´s, drawing the audience in.
In what might be the only true one-two punch in the film, up next is the "Kris, Look What You´ve Missed." Jaymes Hodge again steals the entire production with a soulful gut wrenching ode to a presumably dead lover. He imbues the number with just the right amount of sorrow and then, near the end, the humor comes out ever so slightly. Not so much in the lyrics, but in Hodges´ facial expressions. There is no dancing or real choreography here, only Hodge moving from a chair to the closet and back again as he dresses. A beautifully haunting piece.
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[release]22654[/release]