This review of That Bachelorette Show! at 42 West was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 5 (2015) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!
That Bachelorette Show!
Created by Ken Davenport
Choreographer: Jessica West Regan
Lighting Designer: Jamie Roderick
Costume Designer: Travis Chinick
42 West (514 West 42nd Street, NYC)
Reviewed 5/2/15 at 8:00 p.m.
That Bachelorette Show! is an interactive parody of America's favorite reality romance shows complete with red roses being given to the winners of the respective elimination rounds. The premise is that 27-year old Adriana Orlando from Smithtown, Long Island, having just broken up with Giovanni Giovanni, her boyfriend of 8 years (they've known each other for 22 years having met in the playground when they were both 5-years old), has decided to allow the audience members of this television show to decide who she is going to marry. On their most recent anniversary, Giovanni Giovanni went to Atlantic City with the boys, and this was the last straw for Adriana, who thought a marriage proposal was long overdue. The contestant bachelors lobby for the votes of the audience during dance breaks and, if selected, they have contractually agreed to marry Ms. Orlando. Upbeat club music is supplied by Celebrity DJs AndrewAndrew and the expert lighting design of Jamie Roderick successfully recreates the atmosphere of a cool, happening dance club, complete with light-reflecting disco balls.
The show's fictitious sponsor is Hell No! condoms (as in "do you really want to have a child with that guy?" - "Hell No!"). Being in 42 West puts you in a good mood. There are white-lit banisters leading to unisex bathrooms. Loud recognizable dance tunes keeping the beat in the background. Mother/daughter and boyfriend/girlfriend pre-show dance contests for tee shirts and drink tickets that include dance moves that once seen can never be unseen. Funny jokes from Malcolm Love ("The Host"), enthusiastically portrayed by Andy Peeke, who greets the audience members pre-show and has a number of interesting lines such as, "Are you here with your boyfriend?" and if the woman says yes, he responds, "O.K. I won't tell your husband." Special sashes are given to real brides-to-be attending this event as part of their Bachelorette Party festivities. Most importantly, every audience member, male or female, is treated with equal respect. Prospective grooms vie for the votes of all audience members who get to cast their votes at www.thatbachelorettevote.com. There is even a Lady Suitor that is put in the mix along with Giovanni Giovanni, who shows up to win back the heart of his loved one (Maybe he wasn't really in Atlantic City? Maybe he has crabs? Maybe he's just a jerk?) - again, you, the audience, will get to decide his fate). Adriana Orlando, The Bachelorette, who says very little during the show, is played by Joanne Nosuchinsky, a former Miss New York USA.
The Bachelors include Judder Jones, the Farmer (Lukas Poost); Lt. Col. Tyler Peck, The Pilot (Kelsey J. Nash); Dr. Lencho, The Heart Surgeon (Pedro de Leon); Brian Burtleman, The Average Joe (Russell Daniels); Nicky Fangs, The British Rockstar (James Royce Edwards); Tripp Swift, The Wall Street Guy (Alex Fast); The Prince, Prince Al Zaheed (Douglas Goodhart); Zeke Double Moon Turtle, The Surfer (BJ Gruber); and, as already mentioned, Mack Jenkins, The Lady Suitor (Gavyn Pickens) and Giovanni Giovanni, The Ex-Boyfriend (Gianmarco Soresi). The show is only 90-minutes long and includes long dance breaks during which the audience dances and interacts with the prospective grooms, taking selfies and being lobbied for votes. I would like to have seen more on-stage action. A short interview with each of the contestants would have been nice. Perhaps some choreographed dance contests or even a scene where all the contestants strip down to their underwear, and ultimately, into their birthday suits. After all, if this show hopes to compete with Naked Boys Singing! as the go-to alternative for bachelorettes out on the town with their girls ready to engage in some naughty fun, That Bachelorette Show! is going to have to show a little skin and become a bit more X-rated, if it hopes to compete in the long run.
I personally voted for The Farmer and The Pilot, but it seems the attendees preferred the underdogs on the night I caught the show. Being a mere stereotype, you are able to fantasize all you like about what you think your favorite contestant is like. You can even imagine you might be able to take him home from the dance party after he loses and is a free, single guy again. The format of this show has legs. I can see it utilized on cruise ships where the contestants are regular passengers competing for a date with a single girl. It's a fun innovation letting the audience vote online in real time in each elimination round. Still, to compete as a bachelorette party alternative, the show needs to jack up the sexual tension and move from a PG-rated show to at least an R-rated one. That having been said, no one will leave this show not having had a great time. I highly recommend you see That Bachelorette Show! and immerse yourself in the experience. For tickets, visit www.ThatBacheloretteShow.com or call 866-811-4111.
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