REVIEW: $trip Shows Us the Goods

Ladies, I have wonderful news! If you've ever had to put up with the struggle of pulling teeth to get your man suited up and sit with you in the theater, take heart and take him to $trip the Play. Housed in Venice's Good Hurt bar, with a mandatory 2-drink minimum, he has the chance to get good and liquored up before the show begins. And once he sees the pole in the center of the stage, any complaints are guaranteed to cease immediately. As the title suggests, the play is about-you guess it-strippers! And it is, indeed, a play, not a boobie show. And a darn fun play at that!

Produced, Written, and Directed by George Damian, $trip chronicles the day-to-day goings on at The Sunset Lounge strip club. When small-town Idaho girl Molly arrives at the club in search of a job as she pursues her American Idol (pardon, American Singer) dreams, she becomes immersed in a world of erotica, corruption, and finds herself surrounded by a very unusual cast of characters. All the stripper archetypes are here, and then some. There's Molly, who adopts the stage name America due to her wholesome "apple-pie" sweetness, the small-town girl with Hollywood dreams. America is taken under the wings of Divinity, the exotic Iranian enchantress who is just trying to make a living to support her daughter while going through a messy divorce. There's Suga, the ghettofabulous diva; Samantha, the dominatrix lesbian who gets off on humiliating men; Jackie, the bartender who is trying to put herself through college; Lola, the has-been who is still strutting her stuff way past her prime; Sin, the porn star; and Trish, the drug addict whose father used to touch her.

There is no real story, per se. Just lots of strung together relationships and interactions between a large cast of characters. But with this show, there really doesn't need to be a central, dominant storyline. Each of the "vignettes" are charming and interesting in their own right and Damian paints a colorful and surprisingly detailed, humane portrait of each of his many characters. Everybody gets their moment in the spotlight (and on the pole), and it all comes together in a way that is both satisfying, highly entertaining, and downright impressive.

The acting isn't Oscar-worthy by any means, but the dialogue is funny throughout and at moments laugh-out-loud hysterical. There are some real touching, emotionally moving moments as well as a couple of the girls realize that their day in the sun has passed, or perhaps will never come. Some of the performances are outstanding. Tara Lynn Phillips shocks you as "Molly/America". That girl can really sing! EmiLee Wilson is an absolute riot as the crass lesbian "Samantha" and of the male performers, Joey Gantan gives a standout performance as "DJ Marty", the endearingly sweet and sassy MC of The Sunset Lounge.

But the star of the show, by far and above, is the pole dancing. Say what you will about it, these ladies truly prove it to be an artform. Each number is a dazzling and awesome display of agility, acrobatics, and dance. Hats off to Allure Dance & Fitness Studio for their remarkable training and choreography.

Everything about this show is fun. The bar atmosphere, the rowdy crowd, the humor of the material-its just a good time all around.  No doubt, $trip the Play is one of the most unique, entertaining, and scintillating theatrical experiences LA has to offer!

$trip the Play runs Mondays & Tuesdays at 8pm at The Good Hurt (12249 Venice Blvd.). Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting www.striptheplay.com.

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