Porn stars are people too....and I'm sorry you won't get to meet "The Performers"

11/16/2012

I saw a quirky, slapstick, hilarious show this past weekend about "adult film" stars, and those that love them :). It's called "The Performers," stars Cheyenne Jackson, Henry Winkler, Alicia Silverstone, Ari Graynor, Daniel Breaker and Jenni Barber, and had its opening night last night. But you probably won't get a chance to see it, because today, the day after it opened, it announced it will close on Sunday, four days later.

Here's how the show's website describes the story: "It is the night of the Adult Film Awards, and Lee (Breaker), a tabloid journalist, has come to Las Vegas to interview his high school friend Mandrew (Jackson), a hot new star. Lee, who’s accompanied by his fiancée Sara (Silverstone), first sees Mandrew as an exotic creature; but soon enough begins to question his own, more conservative lifestyle. Meanwhile, Sara is having doubts too, and she enlists Mandrew’s wife Peeps (Graynor) – also a performer – to compare notes on intimacy and the fear of commitment. Awards, sequins, and Barry Manilow converge as everyone tries to navigate the ins, outs, ups and downs of relationships. Thank goodness Chuck Wood (Winkler), the hardest-working man in the business, is on hand to remind everyone that size matters… but love matters more."

It's hard to imagine a group of actors throwing themselves into their roles with more abandon. The "physical" comedy :), whether a pratfall or just exaggerated body language was goofy and fun; and the cast's freedom and ease with the material allowed the audience to just relax and have a blast. The dialogue was risqué and profane...and completely organic to the story :). It did take a few minutes for me to get comfortable with it, but I found the characters to be so endearing, that the graphic language stopped shocking me pretty early on in the show.

The real treats in "The Performers" are Cheyenne Jackson and Ari Graynor, as the husband and wife, Mandrew and Peeps, whose entire relationship has existed in the adult entertainment realm, and for whom kissing on the lips is the measure of monogamy. The comedic timing and nuance for which Jackson and Graynor have mad skills, made the show work for me on so many levels. They made me laugh, yes; but more importantly, they made me care about what happened to these otherwise pretty cartoonish characters. Their reactions to finding out they're pregnant are priceless.

Henry Winkler was a delight to watch on stage as well. His despondent but still-fighting admission that he knows his time as a king among porn stars is done was poignant. And believe me, it surprises me that I would even be using that word to describe a show that spends a fair amount of dialogue on the fine (and funny) points of making pornographic sex entertaining.

So I was happy for the happy ending. I was happy the porn stars found their own way to be in love and committed. I was happy that their friends , the hitherto fore inexperienced fiancés (played by a charming Alicia Silverstone and Daniel Breaker), found love and lust without porn, but with a new perspective on sex and love and each other. And I was happy that Mandrew called his mom when he lost the award that night. It was sweet.

Admittedly, there were well-worn devices used to get laughs, but there's a reason they're used frequently...they're funny if done well. And these were done well. So the misunderstandings, romantic miscues, characters hiding in the bathroom...I knew there'd be a twist because, well, we're talking porn stars, which is pretty funny already. The context of porn stars looking at the world from a completely different perspective than the rest of us was unpredictably funny enough on its own; I didn't mind a few chestnuts of comic devices.

I would never say that the subject matter of the show is for everyone. In fact, my concern when I saw it was whether those to whom it would appeal made up a large enough potential audience to provide a long life. I thought to myself "I'm loving this, but who should I recommend the show to?" This concern was shared by a friend who had seen the show the night before. But we'd gone to see it and thoroughly enjoyed it (as clearly did the audience at my performance, based on the constant belly-laughing that went on throughout), so I had hoped others would have the chance to discover it as we did.

In the end, Hurricane Sandy arguably hurt the momentum of the show as it was in previews and just starting to find its audience with positive word of mouth (yeah, yeah...double entendres are unavoidable with this show :)!). Would it have had a long run? I'd guess probably not honestly; but seven performances is too short. I'm truly disappointed that so many people have missed seeing some great comedic performances; and that a talented cast and crew is out of work too soon. I count myself very lucky...and even more committed to seeing shows that appeal to me during previews (see my earlier post "Can I Please Unread That?" :)).

Me and "Mandrew" :) Cheyenne Jackson is one of the sweetest actors I've ever met at a stage door. He stayed long after everyone else, until every single person had their photo or signature or chance to chat with him.