#1
"Between performances of "Altar Boyz" on Sunday, Tyler Maynard, who plays Mark in the show's five-member Christian boy band, strolled downstairs to mingle with his fans."
There's a guy here who's dressed just like me," he said. The guy in question approached. Indeed, their shirts matched, and, Mr. Maynard exclaimed, "You even have my pants!"
"They cost $175," said Rob Keir, a 14-year-old from Staten Island who was seeing the show for the fourth time. Though Mr. Kier went to the trouble of researching Mr. Maynard's costume, he was a relative novice at Altarholics Appreciation Day.
The event, at New World Stages, was not a fancy affair: sandwiches and sodas, some karaoke and a few prize giveaways. But it offered another chance for the faithful to chat with, photograph and look at their treasured Altar Boyz.
Caitlin Mabon, 21, has seen the show 15 times, though she lives in Omaha. Heather Ticotin, 19, has seen it more than 90 times. (It opened a little over a year ago.) The Altarholics usually sit in the cheap seats, which cost $25, but seeing a show dozens of times is still a serious commitment.
The passionate fan base is not an unusual phenomenon in the theater district. "Jekyll and Hyde" had its Jekkies, and "Rent" its Rentheads, but the formula for "Altar Boyz" is a little more complicated.
For "Altar Boyz" is a spoof, a kind of "Spinal Tap" for boy bands. There are the exaggerated personas mocking the classic boy band marketing strategy: the Latino one, the bad one, etc. There are deadpan remarks at the expense of Lance Bass and Clay Aiken. Though the show is performed, as the creators like to say, without winking at the audience, it is saturated with irony.
There is nothing ironic, however, about seeing a show 90 times. Or getting a tattoo of the show's logo on your arm. Or spending thousands of dollars. Or volunteering to hand out promotional materials on the sidewalk in teeth-chattering weather.
Though many of the Altarholics, as they have christened themselves, said that they genuinely connected with the show's message — roughly, that everyone needs a group to fit into — they all get the parody, and find it funny."
For more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/04/arts/music/04alta.html
Posted: 4/4/06 at 1:21pm
"Between performances of "Altar Boyz" on Sunday, Tyler Maynard, who plays Mark in the show's five-member Christian boy band, strolled downstairs to mingle with his fans."
There's a guy here who's dressed just like me," he said. The guy in question approached. Indeed, their shirts matched, and, Mr. Maynard exclaimed, "You even have my pants!"
"They cost $175," said Rob Keir, a 14-year-old from Staten Island who was seeing the show for the fourth time. Though Mr. Kier went to the trouble of researching Mr. Maynard's costume, he was a relative novice at Altarholics Appreciation Day.
The event, at New World Stages, was not a fancy affair: sandwiches and sodas, some karaoke and a few prize giveaways. But it offered another chance for the faithful to chat with, photograph and look at their treasured Altar Boyz.
Caitlin Mabon, 21, has seen the show 15 times, though she lives in Omaha. Heather Ticotin, 19, has seen it more than 90 times. (It opened a little over a year ago.) The Altarholics usually sit in the cheap seats, which cost $25, but seeing a show dozens of times is still a serious commitment.
The passionate fan base is not an unusual phenomenon in the theater district. "Jekyll and Hyde" had its Jekkies, and "Rent" its Rentheads, but the formula for "Altar Boyz" is a little more complicated.
For "Altar Boyz" is a spoof, a kind of "Spinal Tap" for boy bands. There are the exaggerated personas mocking the classic boy band marketing strategy: the Latino one, the bad one, etc. There are deadpan remarks at the expense of Lance Bass and Clay Aiken. Though the show is performed, as the creators like to say, without winking at the audience, it is saturated with irony.
There is nothing ironic, however, about seeing a show 90 times. Or getting a tattoo of the show's logo on your arm. Or spending thousands of dollars. Or volunteering to hand out promotional materials on the sidewalk in teeth-chattering weather.
Though many of the Altarholics, as they have christened themselves, said that they genuinely connected with the show's message — roughly, that everyone needs a group to fit into — they all get the parody, and find it funny."
For more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/04/arts/music/04alta.html
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