My second night in New York was Saturday, February 14-Valentine’s Day. Once again, I was spending Valentine’s Day alone and single, but unlike other years, this time I was in New York. After a long day of walking through Greenwich Village, Chelsea, and Central Park, I was tired but not so tired that I didn’t want to go out that evening. After returning to my hotel for a short rest, I decided to look online for a show. Being Valentine’s Day, almost everything I wanted to see was either sold out or out of my price range. Then I saw a listing for Naked Boys Singing!, a show I had missed during its run in Houston in 2001 and 2002. What better choice could there be for a single gay man traveling alone in New York on Valentine’s Day than a show full of attractive men with little or no clothing who could sing? I quickly purchased a ticket online for the 10pm show and got ready to go out.
This off-Broadway musical’s title describes the show quite well-a cast of men, mostly naked, throughout the entire show (and when clothes are involved in a scene, they come off very quickly), singing and dancing in a variety of fun musical numbers. The humorous opening song, "Gratuitous Nudity," sets the theme for the night, with the full cast coming out on stage and revealing it all within the first 30 seconds of the show. While at first the nudity is the attraction, it doesn’t take long for the audience to realize that these guys aren’t just pretty things to look at, but that they have real talent. They really can sing and dance quite well! In fact, if the entire show was performed fully clothed, it would still be very enjoyable. The nudity just adds to the fun.
After the opening song, 15 more songs are presented over the next 90 minutes, ranging from the campy, gut-busting hilarious ("The Bliss of a Bris," concerning circumcision, and "The Naked Maid") to the more serious ("Kris Look What You’ve Missed" and "Window to Window"). While the show was created by gay men and some of the subject matter of the songs is gay-themed, the show is by no means open only to the gay community. In fact, on the night I was there, at least half of the audience was straight men and women. While some inside jokes and the deeper meanings of some of the more serious musical numbers may be lost on non-gay audience members, the show is very enjoyable for all, regardless of sexual orientation.
Obviously, because of the nudity and subject matter, this is not a show for children. But for adults, gay and straight alike, it’s a fun, high-camp show that’s full of laughs and some very good performances. Sure, Naked Boys Singing! will probably never win a Tony Award, but it’s a well-done production that nobody leaves unsatisfied.