That is the premise and story of the most recent, and absolutely delightful "How the Grinch stole XXXmas." Take the basic Grinch story that we all know, age the characters to the point that Cindy Lou is in college, get a cassette of your favorite 90's greatest hits, push play and go. The first half of the show goes as you would expect. Cindy comes back to her small town where she knows everybody (and everybody knows her). She arrives just in time for Christmas...but the Grinch comes down and steals everything. However...in the middle of the night a very drunk and thirsty Cindy Lou catches him. After the Grinch sends her back to bed with some water (and a very standard explanation), he leaves with everything. The next morning the Whooter family wakes up and instead of singing...they get angry and go for plan B...a back-up Christmas. Because for them Christmas is all about the food, the shopping, the presents. Cindy disagrees with that thought process and wants Christmas to be about what it should be - family, friends, love, joy, hope.
So, why is this so delightful? First off, the story and writing are great. The Wicked Wenches keep the basic storyline, do their best to keep the rhyme's going, and even have a wonderful narrator (Kit Vicious) reading parts of the story. Secondly, the characterizations are fantastic. Cindy Lou's mother Betty Lou Whooterson (played by Jac Fatale) has the perfect and thickest Minnesotan accent ever, as well as a fantastic passive-aggression that we can all enjoy. The rest of the family is the stepfather Willy Whooterson (Haywire), Drew Lou Whooter (Miss Pussy Willow) and Stu Lou Whooter (Sadie Sapphire). Then there is Granny Lou Whooter (Tawny John), and the cat Mittens (Lo Blo), along with Betty Lou's ex-husband Lou Lou Whooter (Pole'N Polly) and his new "ball & chain" Candy Whooter (Velvet Vendetta). Extended family include Aunt Martha Whooterberg (Raven D'Mure), Uncle Jimmy Whooterberg (Ace Splayed), Kiersten Whooterberg (Roman Hart), and Kristin Whooterberg (Robyn Swing). I mean, those names alone are worth the admission price. Beyond that though, Willy and Uncle Jimmy are the silent father figures whose wives do all the talking. The cousins Drew Lou, Stu Lou (the blue haired twins wearing red), and Kiersten and Kristen (perfectly blonde, ya know) play the parts so well with a great combination of awkward forced friendship, and age differences (Drew Lou and Stu Lou are both younger boys to Kiersten and Kristen's more High School age girls). The outside friends (mentioned below) perfectly show the clique-style of some groups of people.
Finally add the burlesque aspect. When the extended family show up, Lou Lou Whooter, Candy Whooter, and Betty Lou Whooterson have a great number to some classic Backstreet Boys and N'Sync (I believe) while stripping and also showing that Betty Lou still has a weak spot for the badboy Lou Lou. Then the silent strong men of the family (Willy Whooterson and Uncle Jimmy Whooterberg) both go out for a walk, not saying a word, and bond while doing a chairdance/strip combo. Funny and spicy all at the same time. When the Grinch (TiffDynamite) shows up with Max (Coco Nostal'jah), well, Max and Mittens get into a fight played out on the Lyra (a single hoop hanging from the ceiling). It is an athletic and fun number. The end of act one has Cindy's small town friends doing a group number to a song I never expected...and yet was so happy to hear. Wanda Wahooter (Candelora), Crystal Whooterberry (Petra Payne), Tammy Whootermann (Gigi Chaton), and Dick Johnson (Bunnysaurus Rex) all team up to do a bellydance...and it was fantastic! I won't give away the song...but it was perfect. Jennifer Knockerson (Lily de Brassiere) has a great number when she tries to remind Cindy Lou of all the things she taught her about how to handle men.
The Grinch has a very Kurt Cobain feel about him which fits perfectly to the rest of the evening. It makes the Grinch a fuller character with a backstory to explain his grinchiness. Cindy Lou (Mimi Clochette) plays the vulnerable side, as well as the strong, college, rebellious side so well. You can clearly see that the family dynamics are changing. TifDynamite and Mimi play off each other so well. When the resolution of the evening comes in a perfect song/dance combo - you know it could only have ended this way. After all, Rom-coms have to have happy endings, right?
This is the third Wicked Wenches show I have seen and I know that I will do my best to see whatever they put on. They are funny parodies with a LOT of pop culture references, along with some wonderful burlesque and circus feats. For those of you who are leery of burlesque...don't be. Don't think of it as stripping, but focus on the teasing aspect of striptease. Just look at the title of this show! It certainly is only an R-rated show (if that) but there is that tease with "XXXmas." The Wicked Wenches website describes them as a"...collaboration of over twenty actors, dancers, and athletic artists passionately dedicated to the mission of advocating positive physical, mental, and emotional wellness by sharing their experience through the performance art of burlesque and beyond...Burlesque is adult dance theater performed by elaborately-costumed women (and some men) who peel off those elaborate costumes while dancing or singing or performing amazing circus feats. Founded in 2011 as a theater burlesque comedy experiment topped with glitter."
Comedy, Rom-com, 90's music, a familiar Holiday story (to a point), dance, and glitter..what more could you want from a night out? Drinks? Snacks? Home-made cupcakes (some of which are gluten-free)? All of that is available to you at Minnsky Theater. You have two more chances to see this particular show, but if you miss it - I believe February will be their next one... their take on the boardgame Clue!
No comments:
Post a Comment