Review: THE ROCKY HORROR SKIVVIES SHOW at Joe's Pub Satisfies From Start To Finish

The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show has become one of the must-see shows of each year. The other two that spring, most readily, to mind are the Big Red and The Boys Christmas show and the Norm Lewis Christmas show - it would appear that the appointment cabaret shows in New York City are holiday shows... ALTHOUGH The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show doesn't require Halloween to happen, it just seems like the best time for it to occur. Truth be told, it's a show that should happen a few times a year; after all, when the cult favorite was made into a movie, it became a thing every Saturday night. It would be a blessing if this live concert production were like that, something that happened so often that any time you are feeling low or are tired of the state of the world or need to blow off some steam or just need a night of family fun, you can drop in for a performance. But if the Rocky Horror Skivvies Show were available on a regular basis, it might make the once performance a year feel less special. Who knows? What can, most definitely, be stated is that 1) it is special and 2) it is family fun.

Are The Skivvies an Underwear Band and half-naked? Yes. Are their guests in various states of undress? You betcha. Is The Rocky Horror Show a play overflowing with unchecked sexuality? Yup. Could you bring your family to The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show? Absolutely. After all, the human body is beautiful, sexuality is essential, profanity these days is like breathing (and there's really not that much of it), and there's nothing the young people in your family will see in this concert that could be considered objectionable. So if The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show is playing Manhattan or any other city in the world, bring the family and have some fun. But that's not the family this writer had in mind when the phrase "family fun" was thrown out.

Nick Cearley and Lauren Molina created a family when they created The Skivvies. At every Skivvies show, you will see the same musicians (unless, of course, someone is unavailable and needs a pinch-hitter). At every Skivvies show, there is every chance you might see Nathan Lee Graham on the guest artist list. Or Marissa Rosen. Or Travis Kent. And at every Rocky Horror Skivvies Show, you can expect to see actors who have sung these songs before, either in person or on the brand new Rocky Horror Skivvies Show CD. Lauren and Nick have fallen in love with their friends, they are besotted by their talent, they need them playing in their sandbox, in order to make playtime more fun, and the result is that the members of their audience have more fun - that is because those audience members are a part of the family, too. The atmosphere at Joe's Pub last night was one of friendship between fans of The Skivvies and of this particular Skivvies show who see each other every time. Friendships are made in the audience during these shows, as strangers socialize and laugh and bond, knowing there is every possibility they will see one another the next time. It doesn't hurt that, with this show, there is much audience participation (as well there should be) as Cearley and Molina re-create the fun of returning to the scene of the crime, that day when we all saw Rocky for the very first time.

With a bag of props handed out at the door to the club and strong encouragement to enjoy the "shout outs" we all learned watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Molina and Cearley seek to bond with the crowd, to entertain them, to connect to them, and to laugh with them, and last night Nick was especially moved to gales of laughter by one audience member, house left, whose "shout outs" were so perfectly timed and delivered that the person became a kind of Greek Chorus for The Skivvies and co., serving them every single cue line to maximum effect. It was almost as though the patron at the foot of Stage Right was a member of the cast.

And what a cast it was.

With regular guest artists like Nick Adams and Krysta Rodriguez undressed to the nines and serving up Broadway and Rock & Roll like a double helping of hot frankNfurters, the experience of seeing this concert live was a thrill-a-minute as, one by one, every actor made every patron adore them, as well as Lauren and Nick for bringing us all together in this wild ride of a night. The whole show is a raucous one to be fully enjoyed, although through much of the show the band created a wall of sound that the singers had to penetrate, at times unsuccessfully. Perhaps the key to a more equitable balance lies in rehearsals, maybe in sound checks, but the instruments' sound needs to be moved beneath the singers, as a foundation, rather than in front of their voices, as an obstacle to overcome. In spite of this one bauble, today this writer is still marveling at the insanity of the vocals of Travis Kent (who confessed he is currently unemployed, to shocked gasps from an audience who would go see him in anything), the sheer magnetism of Tom Hewitt (previously a handsome devil in his brunette tresses but now an outright danger zone with silver locks and beard that accentuate his devilish baby hazels), and Alison Fraser (the unsung genius of Broadway whose presence serves any show she is in, making it so much the better).

And on the subject of Ms. Fraser and Mr. Hewitt... Thanks to the internet, nobody's age is private anymore - we are all subject to the loss of our discretion. Hewitt and Fraser are both over sixty, and they both had dramatic reveals last night that left the audience screaming... because they are both so doggone gorgeous. Sexy. Beautiful. Hot. He made fun with the audience by sensually rubbing his hands over an abdomen that may be a little bigger than it once was, making many people sitting out front swoon, while Fraser's scantily clad body drew wolf whistles and cheers from an audience who appreciates a woman with confidence and curves. These two Tony-Award nominees deserve an award for leading by example by embracing their age and their sexiness and putting it in a really bright spotlight. But that's what The Skivvies band does: highlight everyone's beauty.

Aside from being damn fine entertainment, The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show displays for the audience an array of skin color, of body types, of ages, of genders and gender non-conformists, of personalities, reminding those sitting out front that we are all beautiful, that we all have something to celebrate, and that we should rejoice in our individuality and our individual choices. Perhaps it is a Skivvies mission statement that Nick and Lauren discussed when they formed their underwear band, or maybe it is an incidental that happened along the way. Whatever the case may be, Molina and Cearley have created an effective way to encourage their audience, their fans, their friends, their family, to be like they and the rest of the Skivvies artists, and find the time, the safe space, and the bandwidth to sing and dance around in their... our underwear, celebrating our uniqueness and our fabulosity. It's a hell of a door prize to take home from a cabaret show.

But, then, this is no ordinary cabaret show. This one is special, and it needs to be seen, wherever it is being played, whoever the guest artists are, and whatever the time of year.

The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show was a one-off. Look for it at JOE'S PUB again next year, and look for other great shows to see at the Joe's Pub website HERE.

Visit The Skivvies website HERE.

The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show Band is: Drums: Josh Roberts, Piano: Eric Shorey, Bass: Joe Wallace, Woodwinds: Andy Gutauskas

The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show special guests appeared in this order:

Sutton Lee Seymour, Travis Kent, Tom Hewitt, Krysta Rodriguez, Nick Adams, J. Harrison Ghee, Marissa Rosen, Alison Fraser, Nathan Lee Graham, Amy Hillner Johnson, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Rob Morrison

The Skivvies are Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley.

The Rocky Horror Skivvies Show cast gets a five out of five microphones rating for performing their entire show without the use of a lyric sheet, tablet, or music stand.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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