At last no tease, you get what you always wanted to see in a male review. Seven men and none of them are named Monty but you get and see the full Monty in this hit musical review.
You would think that you would have to wait until the finale to see the boys in the buff, but the show opens with them naked, belting out “Gratuitous Nudity”. They are so comfortable performing in the nude that for short moments of time you actually are listening to the words, looking at their faces and not paying attention to the fact that they do not have any clothes on. For someone who does not have the opportunity to see a group of seven naked men, this is a smorgasbord of male organs to peruse. Seated behind me was a row of church going ladies who were having the time of their life and their roars of laughter were contagious. I wonder if they will share this with the church congregation.
It is masterfully directed by Hank Emerson and produced by Michael Morse and Jimmy Emerson. The choreography by Brad Barnes was superb and Spencer Baker at the piano was splendid. Spencer has a master of music degree from UNLV and has won the Liberace Professional Competition Star Award. He is also the principle pianist for the Nevada Opera.
Front Row: Paul, Jeremy, Mark
Back Row: Allen, Daryl, Ivan, Nolan
The cast consists of Daryl Roth who has appeared in many Broadway and Las Vegas shows. He studied Russian ballet and theatre dance, had stints as a go-go dancer in New York and his years of experience was evident in his performance.
Nolan Christopher was in the Chicago production for two years and is now streaking here in Las Vegas. If you can’t get enough of Nolan here, you can go to Planet Hollywood and see him in Tony’n Tinas Wedding.
Ivan Hardin is a native of Las Vegas and is outstanding in his first professional production. He is a graduate of the College of Fine Arts at UNLV. He kind of resembles David Beckman.
Paul Pratt was recently in the Chicago production of naked boys and he has brought his dancing and acrobatic abilities to the Las Vegas show. He is skilled in many facets of dance and has performed on cruise ships, theme parks and Broadway productions.
Mark White is a graduate of the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts with a major in musical theater. Mark has been a resident of Las Vegas for 22 years and has performed in many theatres in the area. When Mark is not performing in Naked Boys Singing he can be found at the Venetian as Marco the Singing Gondolier, with his clothes on.
Allen Merritt is a charming multi-talented performer with an emotional powerful voice. He has appeared in a slew of musical Broadway productions, West Side Story, The Music Man and Oklahoma, to name a few. I loved his solo “The Naked Maid”. Another favorite was the outrageous and unique song “Beat Your Meat”.
Mitchell Johnson is part of the talented cast. Mitchell studied with the Hollywood Performing Arts Academy and is active in the entertainment field.
Naked Boys Singing is 90 minutes of pure joy, great entertainment and lots of flesh to feast your eyes on. The cast is so comfortable on stage that after a while the audience feels right at home with the nudity. Kind of makes you want to go home and walk around nude to get liberated.
Everyone should see this show at the Onyx Theatre at 953 E. Sahara in the Commercial Center, inside the Rack Store. Shows are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 10pm and Sunday at 3pm. Call 702 732-7225 www.onyxtheate.com . The Onyx Theatre reminds me of the off Broadway theaters in New York City where the feeling is close and personal.
I leave you with the words of Kelly Ripa. The three greatest words in the English language are “Naked Boys Singing” Go see the show. You will love it.
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