Feature  

They're Men...They're Naked...They're Singing...

The boys of the Off-Broadway musical Naked Boys Singing are experts -- well, buffs -- on being bare on the boards.

"No wonder we're all the rage, we give new meaning to a bare stage," sings the cast of Naked Boys Singing as each actor's formerly private part swings to the exuberant beat of "Gratuitous Nudity," the show's exultant opening number. Having celebrated its six-month anniversary on January 24 at The Actors' Playhouse, the little show with the, uh, big gimmick continues to attract attention from both mainstream and gay audiences. "This show blurs the lines of sexuality," explains co-star Glenn Allen, whose wife gave birth to a son two weeks after the revue's opening night. "Some of the songs have nothing to do with being gay or straight. The show has tremendous crossover appeal!"

Featuring a program of 16 songs, Naked Boys Singing humorously explores circumcision, locker room antics, pornography, exhibitionism and man's favorite pastime (and it's not football) from a penile point of view. "The nudity is secondary," claims another cast member, Trance Thompson, who first appeared in the show during its sold-out run in Los Angeles. "Since opening last July, the attitude towards us has changed. We're more than just 'that gay nudie musical.' We're being accepted as a legitimate production. People love it!"

Audience adoration aside, it's fair to say that no actor can be fully prepared to discover that his 'plumbing' is being critiqued in the pages of The New York Observer. After all, it would be wholly improper to comment on the proportions of Annie Get Your Gun costar Tom Wopat's pistol or wonder what's down under Dame Edna's girdle; but, for the cast of Naked Boys Singing, such observations are a nightly occurrence. But if having The Village Voice praise or ignore one's natural endowment isn't worrisome enough, the commentary of theatergoers can be positively unnerving. "One night, during my solo, I could overhear two guys in the front row whispering about my body," recalls Allen, modestly. "I wanted to run off stage and hide!"

"Someone should start a support group for actors who have appeared naked on stage," suggests actor Tim Burke, jokingly. The idea, however, is not far-fetched - judging from recent seasons, the potential "member" roster would be rather large. And just not comprised of men, either: Judith Light, who disrobed nightly during her run in Off-Broadway's Wit, also recently stopped by to applaud "the boys." The naked boys themselves also support each other, providing a knowing empathy whenever a fellow cast member faces a uniquely awkward situation. "We protect each other," remarks Thompson. "We've seen one another through a lot of firsts - first time naked on stage, first photo shoot, first public appearance wearing only a g-string...."

And then there's the occupational hazards of living life nude on stage: "dirty feet!," or so exclaims the cast in unison. Traipsing about the stage and green room barefooted can create soles filthy enough to turn off even the most ardent foot fetishist. "To keep our feet clean, we have several boxes of baby wipes backstage," says one ensemble member. Then there's the problem of what happens when the air outside drops below freezing and a certain kind of shrivelling, uh, shivering chill becomes pervasive cast-wide. "Temperature control is a very touchy subject," confesses Allen.

 

Your Email Address:  *
Your Friend's Email Address:  *
   optional
   optional
   optional
   optional
Your Zip Code:
Subject:
Message: I recommend this article on TheaterMania.com. And, while you're there, you can read news, reviews, features and more, covering theater everywhere!

--There are no comments posted yet.