THEATER
tune 18.2004 • just O U t 45
T ...........
Disrobing and disarming
triangle exposes the hearts and minds of 10 Naked Men
by
T im o th y K r a u se
THE BLOCK PARTY THAT STARTED IT ALL IS BACK!
CC SLAUGHTER’S
CASCADE CUP
A cast of Portland’s finest tail, er, talent graces the stage through June 26 at Theater! Theatre!
en typically have two things on their
minds: money and sex. So it’s not sur
prising that the two hook up in the
midst of 10 Naked Men, a funny and
raunchy off-Broadway comedy about hustling
in Hollywood that kicks off the Summer Pride
Series from triangle productions!
Sex, skin and self-scrutiny mingle to make
10 Naked Men the summer’s must-gawk for gay
boys and fag hags— a rousing riot that is
provocative in more ways than one.
Written by Ronnie Larsen (Making Pom,
Peep Show) and directed by triangle founder
Donald I. Horn, 10 Naked Men retells the
familiar story of hometown hopeful facing big-
city temptations while learning a few truths
about life along the way. Only in this case, the
truth echoes my best bud’s long-held credo that
“it all boils down to the wiener.”
Fresh from college, aspiring actor Robert
gradually sheds his Portland naivety when he
moves to West Hollywood with best friend
Kenny to begin a career in the entertainment
industry. Alternating between beating the
pavement and beating off, Robert eventually
closets his thespian dreams and joins man’s
daily hunt for sex and work.
Our earnest hero— repeatedly labeled as
“too stagy” and “too fat”— ends up with -a two-
timing agent who trades him off to lick a one-
line ice cream spot. Then, in probably the
play’s most comical scene, Robert fingers the
back pages of Frontiers to browse escort ads that
trumpet “Gymnast,” “Air Borne Ranger” and
“Sicilian Meat” before he sheepishly calls an
ex-con rapist for hire.
Although the lives of the play’s 10 characters
are threaded around Robert’s search for a buck
and a fuck, 10 Naked Men is really a comedy of
manners about prostitution in all senses of the
word. In L.A., Robert quickly learns that no one
feels like they belong and that we’re all for sale.
Any job is prostitution. What (and who) we’ll
do in exchange for money is limited only by die
depth of our desire— above all, to feel wanted,
even though some, like Kenny, firmly believe
some business deals cross moral lines.
of desire: Do you love me! Would you fuck me if
I didn’t pay you? How much does monogamy
cost? And what’s the difference between work
ing for a bank and working over the banker?
Still, 10 Naked Men never takes itself so
seriously that it can’t milk a guy for laughs.
Though a little off-the-rack, Horn has
redressed his latest venture smartly in layers,
tailoring the familiar riffs on L.A. life while
lifting the hems of local institutions, such as
the cloaked University of Portland, tatty Club
XES and others. The story’s cleverly fashioned
staging and brisk pace deliver constant laughs,
entangled encounters, a smidge of sentiment
and a dose of reality.
The dynamic ensemble is equally well-
balanced. Todd Pozycki (Chicken Soup for the
Hole), who plays Robert with a reassuring
genuineness, proves wholeheartedly that the
still waters of nice guys often run deep and
murky— and that real characters can be stereo-
typically comic while charismatically complex.
Equally engaging is Michael Teufel (Shopping
and Fucking) as Kenny, who eventually exposes
a hurting heart hidden beneath his ever-
optimistic, gay Everyboi. And the Vivian Vance
award for perfect sidekick must go to Michael
DeMaio for his portrayal of a director’s pissy
assistant, giving fresh meaning to sucking up.
Kelsey Tyler’s (Judy’s Scary Little Christmas)
charming and stripped-down portrayal of
Steve, an escort who hides the fact from suitor
Kenny, and Drew Barrios’ tenderly brutal ex-
con both illustrate real lives behind command
performances as men on call.
Similarly, Todd Chatalas’ ( Hedwig and the
Angry Inch) goofy Richard sympathetically
explores the mutual vulnerabilities of performing
for the camera and for a john. Frequent cabaret
crooner Steven Nash keeps things humming
along as a domineering-by-day, submissive-by
night commercial director, while Joe Healy and
Brian Wilson, as opposing entertainment indus
try agents, fuel the fire of manipulation when
they treat everyone as a commodity to trade.
Sex sells, it’s true, and 10 Naked Men can
really hustle,
o our voyeuristic pleasure, the evening lives
up to its promise of bare booties and full
frontals, but die title is equally a metaphor
for revealing the humanity beneath our homi
ness. As much as we fondle the men’s foibles, we
know they reveal larger themes of love and lust,
monogamy and infidelity, judgment and accep
tance, while more than once seeking the value
10 N aked M en plays 8 p.m. Thursday to
Saturday through June 26 at Theater! Theatre!,
3430 S.E . Belmont St. Tickets are $25~$30 from
503-239-5919 or iww.tripro.org.
M
T imothy K rause believes sex, like education and
health care, ought to be free and universal.
Contact him at timlcra@millenicom.com.
• JULY 3, 2004
$5.00 COVER - 7pm to Close
60 TEAMS ■ 5 STATES • 1 CLOSED STREET ■ 100’s OF STUDS!
CA 219 NW DAVIS ST • 21 & OVER ONLY
HJ
,
www.ccslaughterspdx.com
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