Those naughty Naked Boys are still singing Off-Broadway and July 22, they'll be celebrating two years at the Actors' Playhouse. The musical comedy revue opened there July 22, 1999 after a successful run in Los Angeles.
Naked Boys Singing! is a sometimes comic, sometimes serious, all singing, all dancing revue of tunes celebrating mankind sans clothing. The original 16-song score includes such numbers as "Fight the Urge," "The Bliss of a Bris," "Muscle Addiction," "Nothing But the Radio On," "Members Only" and "Window to Window."
The revue's contributing writers are Stephen Bates, Marie Cain, Shelly Markham, Jim Morgan, David Pevsner, Rayme Sciaroni, Mark Savage, Ben Schaechter, Robert Schrock, Mark Winkler and Bruce Vilanch. Schrock directed with choreography by Jeffry Denman (The Producers) and musical direction by Stephen Bates.
Tickets are $50-$35 or $70 for the first two rows. The Actors' Playhouse is located at 100 Seventh Avenue South below Christopher Street. Call (212) 463-0060 for information.
* Recently, Naked Boys Singing! kicked up some controversy in none other than Provincetown, Massachusetts. The popular gay getaway on Cape Cod issued a cease and desist order against the popular Off-Broadway revue playing at Provincetown's Crown and Anchor for featuring, unsurprisingly, naked boys singing.
The cease and desist order carries a $100 in daily fines for zoning and licensing fees. The town's licensing agent, Greta Holman, was quoted as saying, "We met with [the owners] and discussed the show, discussed the options, which are to end the show or cover up." The Crown and Anchor is located within 500 feet of a Unitarian church, the city's town hall and a woman's erotic boutique, each of which proximity violates the town's zoning bylaws. With nudity on display, the Crown and Anchor becomes an adult entertainment complex, something for which the space is not licensed to sell alcohol.
The Crown and Anchor staff, including Adam Weinstock of Creative Concept Productions, argue that the nudity in Naked Boys Singing! is not sexual, but merely a part of a theatrical, not adult, production. Naked Boys Singing! continues to play while the production seeks legal consul with the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Crown and Anchor is located at 247 Commercial Street. For information, call (508) 487-1430. The Crown and Anchor is on the web at http://www.thecrownandanchor.net.
— By Christine Ehren
