Naked Boys Singing — Page 2

Jerry Orbach comes to mind.

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I don't think Jerry Orbach could be considered an "Off-Broadway Actor." He has more Broadway credits, and wasn't known primarily as an "Off-Broadway actor". That's just my opinion.

What does the Show Curtain look like?

PENIS! A big ole penis plastered on a curtain.

2 things...

In regards to them not having a chance at a real career, and only speaking for the 2007 P-Town cast...Alex Ringler went on the National Tour of A Chorus Line and is doing WSS on Broadway and Zach Clause just played Tobias opposite Harriet Harris. Not bad for 2 young performers who are proud to put it on their resumes.

And from a casting perspective, its a GREAT thing to have on your theater resume (I'd take it off if going in for stuff for Nickelodeon or Disney). Its a wonderful conversation starter and if you have talent NO ONE in the theater industry cares that you've done the show. Its a cute, fun show and everyone I know who has done it (in Ptown) has LOVED it. Its supposedly so much fun to do.

Almira, do you really want a list of every actor who began their career Off-Broadway and then moved on to visible, significant, legit careers? like Al Pacino, Kate Nelligan, Mary Louise Parker, Joe Mantello, Bernadette Peters, etc., etc., etc?

Liza May, that's very nice for the two people you mention, but chorus on a B&T and/or in the third replacement cast, while perfectly legitimate, are also not quite what I meant by "significant" and "visible" (see the names above for that).

Diva, your faithfulness to your friend is admirable, but it might be best not to blind yourself to the fact that, to most of the industry, Naked Boys Singing is an embarrassing piece of tacky, soft-core porn - just like Oh Calcutta and Let My People Come were 20-30 years ago. And the fact that it plays 2 days a week (in NYC at least) hardly qualifies it as a "hit." Discussing the quality of the songwriting is futile, since there's sure to be someone who thinks that it's a good score. But there doesn't seem to be any point in pretending that a parade of penises for its own sake has any theatrical merit, except to cater to puerile voyeurs.

"to most of the industry, Naked Boys Singing is an embarrassing piece of tacky, soft-core porn"

Really?

I work in the industry, and though you may make fun of it, EVERY theatre I work at says something to the effect of, "I wish I had thought of it. Cheap to produce and it's been running all of these years..."

I am begining to wonder if you've even seen the show...

"But there doesn't seem to be any point in pretending that a parade of penises for its own sake has any theatrical merit, except to cater to puerile voyeurs."

The show has some touching moments in it and it pokes fun at nudity. It's not a "Jeff Styker Production". It's a show that put's butts into seats. That's all any producer could ask for.

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And I suppose it might help if I were to add that:
a) I have nothing against nudity in theatre;
b) There may be an interesting, sophisticated way of doing an all-nude gay revue, but this (in my opinion) isn't it - it's a just a cutesified, ultimately prudish strip show, aiming at the lowest vulgar common denominator (like such other Actors Playhouse shows as Making Porn and 10 Naked Men).

I think we're talking at cross purposes here, Almira. Your point is valid, Being in an Off-Broadway show is no guarantee of a career. Getting a Theatre World or Tony Ward is no guarantee.

But my point is different, and it's this - over the 10+ years this show has been going around, none of the cast members have moved on to a legit career as a featured, respected, known player - even one as relatively low-profile as a Kevin Cahoon or a Rob Campbell (two entirely random names). I think that can be taken as an argument that working in NBS may be an impediment towards developing a more advanced career.

Wow.. now working on the WEST SIDE STORY tour isn't good enough.

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Okay.. it is clear that we are arguing two different approaches to working in the theatre.

Yours takes the strategy of only working when the role is deemed by yourself and others as "a significant career move".

While I believe, from observation, in the "working begets work" "pay-your-dues" approach. Emma Thompson and Maggie Smith started in sketch comedy. Bette Midler has singing in gay bathhouses on her resume. Many of the most successful careers have humble to embarrassing origins. Clearly there is more than one road to the goal of becoming a "working, respected, known actor."

Remember there was a time when working in movies was BENEATH a true actor.. as was working in vaudeville, musical comedies or television. Actors can really shoot themselves in the foot by not going where the work is.

From observation it seems that you get more "significant career move" choices the more you work. If you aren't working you get NO "career move" choices.

As for working on the WEST SIDE STORY tour. I suspect that there were A LOT of people auditioning for ANY role: therefore it is "highly sought after." "Well paying" and "respectable" are relative terms but I imagine it far more respectable for a performer to be making a living at his chosen craft then waiting tables and hoping for that elusive "significant career move" to drop out of the sky.

Of course at the end of the day...the real point is having worked in NAKED BOYS SINGING will not hurt your career. Perhaps not "help" it, but won't hurt it. And you can always omit it from your resume.

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Updated On: 12/15/10 at 03:15 PM

NBS has never claimed to be great theatre, so why do you keep comparing it to book shows? It's a review.


It sounds to me like Newintown has their pick of jobs.

Must be nice to only do things that you deem worthwhile...

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Diva's snark is NEVER hidden. It always out and proudly upfront.

Diva, it is just me or doth the lady protest too much? All this sanctimoniously language: "salacious" "puerile" "low brow" "pornography" makes me think of the preacher condemning the local strip club the Sunday morning after beating off to ALL ASIAN GANGBANG VOL. II the night before.

Or maybe someone didn't get a NAKED BOYS SINGING callback?

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Updated On: 12/15/10 at 04:56 PM