Review: Post5's BITE ME (A LITTLE) Proves There is No Such Thing as Too Much Camp

Imagine The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and [insert your favorite vampire movie/TV show here] had a baby. That fun, disturbing, and ultra-campy lovechild would be BITE ME (A LITTLE). This new musical, by local artist Arlie Conner in collaboration with Bill Larimer, had made its first appearance at the 2012 Fertile Ground festival and is currently playing at Post5.

BITE ME (A LITTLE) is about innocent nerd Ben Davies (played by Brian Burger) who, in search of a place to hold his high school reunion, wanders into the kinky sex club/feeding ground of world's most despicable vampire, Dr. Hurt (Nathan Dunkin). You can now probably guess most of the plot. Or can you? (Cue Law and Order sound effect...you know the one.)

The show is 90% a wildly entertaining campfest. Everything about it is over the top -- Ben Davies is the nerdiest nerd, Dr. Hurt is the worst vampire ever, Joe McCracky (Jim Vadala) is the most detective-y detective. The jazzy ditties are extra jazzy and the title torch song is uber-torchy. And this over-the-top, full frontal embrace of campiness is the show's best quality. The musical is definitely rough around the edges, and it's at its finest when it not only acknowledges those rough edges but celebrates them.

Speaking of the cast -- where did Sydney Weir come from? As Raven, a sympathetic vampire and sister(?) of Dr. Hurt, Weir is fantastic. Her voice is awesome. Here's hoping we see her grace Portland stages a lot more in future. Brian Burger (another awesome voice) is a great nerd, and Jim Vadala's comic timing couldn't be better. Then of course, there's Tyler Buswell as Georgie -- the part-Hedwig, part-Tim Curry, vampire-loving, crossdressing host of the club. He sparkles. I was also impressed by Nathan Dunkin as Dr. Hurt (didn't know he could sing!) and Chrissy Kelly-Pettit (awesome voice #3) in a role that's pretty much the complete opposite of Mary Poppins. Arlie Conner has given all of the actors parts to have fun with, and they are having a lot of fun.

So, I said the show is 90% a wildly entertaining campfest. Now for the other 10%.

There's an undercurrent of misogyny. Don't get me wrong -- there are some kickass women in this production. But there are also some highly disturbing attitudes. First, our hero, Ben Davies. We're supposed to be rooting for him, in particular to find true love. But his first song is a vitriolic rant against his high school girlfriend because she refused to have sex with him. While the tune is catchy and the song well-sung, the lyrics suggest that men are entitled to women's bodies and that women who refuse deserve to be cursed. That's not only impossible to root for, it's also scary -- it was just last year that this exact sentiment caused a man to kill three women at the University of Santa Barbara.

The other area is Dr. Hurt. Now, Dr. Hurt is despicable in every way possible, and most of those ways are funny because they're so outlandish. But are we supposed to laugh when he sings a jazz ditty while physically abusing his sister or his "love slaves" (two women both named Tina)? Violence toward women -- particularly sexual violence -- is a major global problem, not something to laugh at.

Overall, I 90% enjoyed BITE ME (A LITTLE) and I hope Conner and team continue to develop the show. I also hope they take a look at some of the too-real parts and consider replacing them with a bit more camp, which, in this case, you really can't have too much of.

BITE ME (A LITTLE) runs through Dec. 12. Find tickets at http://www.post5theatre.org/

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