CRASS ACT at NCTC is RUDE, CRUDE AND NUDE

A CRASS ACT!: A Musical Comedy Cabaret for Consenting Adults. Musical direction and Arrangements by Scrumbly Koldewyn. The New Conservatory Theatre Center (Walker Theatre), located at 25 Van Ness Ave. near Market St. in San Francisco, 94102. NCTC Box Office (415) 861 8972, or online at www.nctcsf.org. August 27^th – September 12, 2009

RUDE, CRUDE AND NUDE

In 2008 Tom Orr graced (I use that word loosely) the boards with I Feel a Thong Coming On. It was not until the final scene of the second act before he stripped bare receiving squeals of delight from the audience. In Crass Act, after musical director Scumbly Koldewyn at the piano, sang the pre-show song “Turn Off Your Cellphones” (to the tune of “Brush Up Your Shakespeare!” from Kiss Me Kate) Tom Orr mounted a small round podium “bare as a babe and twice as cocky” suggesting “now that you’ve seen it, let’s get on with the show.”

The audience at the Friday night performance mostly applauded Orr’s professional demeanor even when he was a parody of himself and when some of the skits were beyond ribald or raunchy. He takes well-known show tunes, adds ear shattering specific sexual lyrics while singing, dancing, changing into many costumes creating a 95 minute (with one intermission) evening in tune with his label as “award winning lyricist-playwright-singer-dancer-actor-comedian-director and musical comedy porn star.” Charming musical director Scumbly Koldewyn, who wrote the musical arrangements, is sometimes a duet partner, provides a touch of much needed gentility and is the perfect foil for Orr’s shenanigans.

Parody is the key word. As he begins the show completely in the nude, and from the looks of things using a backstage fluffer, he belts “Try My Depravity” ("Defying Gravity" from Wicked) and promising not to “Show Off” (from Drowsy Chaperone)- Wicked) before swinging into “Sin in San Francisco” ("Kansas City" from Oklahoma!). Followed by a block of songs he calls, “The Filthier Medley of 2009” that includes “Poop Chute Honeymoon (“Choo Choe Honeymoon” from Dames at Sea”) and “We Piss in the Shadows” (“We Kiss in the Shadows from The King and I).

This goes on and on as he changes with alacrity costumes and demeanor with some changes more effective than others do. Such as when he sings, “Glove for Sale” ("Love For Sale!" from Cole Porter’s The New Yorkers) indicating Michael Jackson’s White Glove. Another occurs when he dons a blue gingham dress and flaming red work shoes singing ala Judy Garland, “The Gal That Got Away” (“The Man That Got Away from A Staris Born). Then in the second act, he sings a charming duet with Scrumbly, “A New Fangled Wedding” (“An Old Fashioned Wedding” from Annie Get Your Gun) as a plea for approval of Gay weddings.

Orr starts the second act with a tear away classy black tie and tails that is ripped off revealing a two-piece tight fitting tiger skin colored outfit and high heeled shoes, adding a red fright wig as he pays homage to the women who were (are) idols of the Gay Set. The audience erupted with laughter but apparently were disappointed that more drag was not included in the show.

As indicated in the headline, Tom Orr’s Crass Act is crude, rude, nude and at times hysterically funny and is not for the lady in Dubuque.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com