Review by anonymous
June 19, 2016What I liked
This is a show that pokes the sore spots of current events and societal issues. And it’s fun! Shooty the gun opens the show, and right away you know there won’t be any pulled punches, no matter where you stand on an issue. Sit back, buckle up, enjoy the ride. Favorite moments: the absolute empowerment I felt at the end of the Fat Panic number. Girlfriend brings it throughout the number and I ended up wanting to pump my fist in the air. The Freaky Friday swap left me feeling as uncomfortable as I should feel about the double standards of how people with different colored skin are treated. With “Name That Rapist”, the audience contestant didn’t know all the answers, but as a woman, I did, and I’d wager every woman around me did. Funny and timely. You hate to laugh, but you laugh. And the very end part of the Fascist Follies had me exclaiming aloud, “Dear God, no!” But what a delightful cabaret number featuring some of the most horrible icons of 20th century brutality to bring forth what may well be the 21st century’s heir… ugh. Devastating and delightful.
All the numbers in this show were fun while POKING fun at the failings in our modern society. Singing along with Pants Down, Don’t Shoot, was silly and entertaining, and still felt like an anthem of sorts.
Production value pared down to minimums, but still with the attention to detail I expect from a Victory Variety Hour show. Soundtrack (such attention to detail of theme in pre-show and between numbers), seamless transitions, great pacing… there is much to appreciate about even those little details. They add up to an excellent overall experience.
What I didn't like
When a producer and director are working with a 15 minute in and out load in and cleanup time, there isn’t a lot of time for frills. I missed frills. BUT… the guerilla theater feel that being a fringe show brings to this production fits very well with the theme and overall mood of F### ALL of THIS Sh that I felt walking out of the theater.
My overall impression
Good stuff. Burlesque done gritty and in your face, with a side of “yeah, boobies and music and glamour too”. Socially conscious? Well, maybe more socially exasperated. But in the “we’re gonna laugh instead of cry” sort of vein.
Don’t show up expecting delicate flowers as performers. If I met these glamour gods and goddesses in a dark alley, I’d definitely want them on my side, if only for the wit and wildness. They’re talented, they’re gorgeous, and they’ll punch you in the face with their point. And you’ll like it.
Just like I like it.
